Case report: Matricide by a 17-year old boy with Asperger's syndrome

This case study presents a 17-year-old boy with Asperger's syndrome (AS) who was charged with matricide. The adolescent had neither prior history of aggression and violent behavior nor an established history of co-morbid disorder. The case illustrates challenging clinical issues of forensic relevance within the framework of psychiatric evaluation of young people with AS committing violent crimes. It exemplifies how the failure to recognize AS-related vulnerabilities and special needs when compounded by cumulative stress can lead to a grave outcome.