A mum has been euthanised at her own request 16 years after she brutally killed her five children.
Convicted murderer Genevieve Lhermitte, 56, from Belgium, slit her children's throats with a kitchen knife in 2007.
She was granted euthanasia for medical reasons in the municipality of Montigny-le-Tilleul and died on February 28 - 16 years to the day of the grisly killings.
She committed the heinous crime in the city of Nivelles while her husband was visiting family in Morocco, reports the Mirror.
It is assumed she originally planned to take her own life on the day of the murders, with one local psychologist suggesting after her death that she was trying to "finish what she started".
Lhermitte's lawyer plead insanity at her trial in 2007, disputing that she could not be held responsible for her actions.
However, the plea was rejected and she was sentenced to life in prison.
In 2019, she was released from prison in the municipality of Forest and entered a psychiatric centre in the municipality of Manage.
She spent two years at the centre she was briefly moved to a more open facility but returned soon afterwards following a suicide attempt.
Currently, Belgium is one of the four countries in Europe where euthanasia is legal at a patient's request and one of only two along with the Netherlands that grant the procedure for people suffering from mental illness.
Discussing how Lhermitte became eligible for the procedure, psychologist Emilie Maroit told local media: "There are three main conditions for being able to be euthanised.
"It's unbearable physical or psychological suffering, which is certainly her case. A medical case deemed hopeless.
"The evaluation is done by doctors, especially at the psychological level. And then, the patient must clearly and repeatedly express their desire to resort to euthanasia."
Lhermitte's funeral took place following her cremation in the town of Gilly on March 1.
Ms Maroit said: "It's a symbol for her children, but also a sacrifice. Maybe it was also a way for her to finish what she started.
"Initially, she wanted to end her life when she killed her five children. Maybe it's a way to do it on the date that was originally planned."
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