In early modern Europe, depressed Christians – predominately Protestants and predominately women – took to an unusual way to die by suicide: They killed someone else instead.
Because suicide was considered an unforgivable sin, the devout logically feared an eternity in Hell if they decided to end their suffering on Earth. However, the penalty for murder was execution, which could be preceded by confession and repentance. Not unlike the modern suicide by cop, they would commit a heinous crime that would force the state to do their dirty work for them. They justified their murders by killing innocents – usually children – who would be ensured a one-way ticket to Heaven.
Clergy and politicians were at a loss to address the problem. The state wouldn’t stop executions, but didn’t want to encourage would-be suicides. The church condemned both suicide and murder, but felt obligated to take confessions. A few states implemented harsh but not fatal punishments, including a whippings followed by life in prison at hard labor. Some changed their execution methods to something less swift than a beheading.
Eventually, the social trend died down, but the church is still going strong.
We think this would be a great premise for an historical murder mystery.
