Joseph Weldon Smith
When it comes to family annihilation cases generally the motive is clear. If they do not end in a murder/suicide then the perpetrator usually takes off and ends all contact with anyone they know. They are also careful to make sure no one is left alive. In many ways these cases are not much different than other cases when it comes to motive. There are almost always financial issues. In cases that do not end in murder/suicide it is often believed, although not always expressed by the perpetrator, that the motive is as simple as wanting to rid oneself of a family and start over. These types of cases are generally planned out for weeks or months in advance by the perpetrator which is why oftentimes the crime is not discovered for some time, giving the perpetrator plenty of time to get far away. Think of cases such as John List and William Bradford Bishop Jr. Both of these men killed their mothers, wives and children, either effectively hid their bodies or prepared thi...