Did Scientology Beliefs Lead to Murder?

When people think about deaths resulting from religious beliefs that oppose modern medicine, they might first think about Jehovah's Witnesses who refuse blood products or Christian Scientists who object to much of modern medical practice. Where does Scientology come into this? Scientology objects to psychiatric medication and this may have led to murder in one case.

Jeremy Perkins, who had been diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic, came to believe that his mother, Elli, was evil and out to get him. Experts say the brutal murder might never have occurred, had he received proper treatment to control his psychotic delusions. But Jeremy’s parents were devout Scientologists and their religion strongly opposes psychiatric treatment. ...

A lawyer for Jeremy's father told 48 Hours that Jeremy was seen by both physicians and mental health practitioners, including a psychiatrist. But court records unsealed by 48 Hours indicate that Jeremy’s treatment was limited to mostly vitamins and other holistic healing methods. The family filled prescriptions for an anti-anxiety drug and a sleeping aid. Medical experts and a doctor who treated Jeremy after the murder dismiss these methods as ineffective for an individual with paranoid schizophrenia.

Source: CBS News

Obviously no one can guarantee that Jeremy Perkins never would have done anything violent had he received proper treatment and medication instead of Scientology's pseudoscientific attention. It's not at all unreasonable, though to argue that Scientology played a role here and that this case may serve as evidence that reliance on Scientology rather than science is not a good idea when you're ill.
This may explain why there appears to be evidence that the Church of Scientology may have moved quickly to cover up ties between them and the family. Given how much they invest in telling people how wonderful their system is, it would be bad publicity if their system is connected to murder in any way:

After Jeremy stabbed his mother, the church began covering trails that could link Jeremy Perkins to Scientology, according to Dunning and her husband. "This was a black eye they were afraid of," said Rich Dunning, Anne-Marie's husband and the deputy executive director before the couple left Scientology in May 2003.

There were other concerns. Elli Perkins was classified in the church as an "Operating Thetan," meaning she was an upper-level Scientologist. Bad things, let alone grisly murders, aren't supposed to happen to them, Anne-Marie Dunning said. "They're afraid it will show OTs are not any different than anyone else, and that's what they're selling," she said. "If she has her salvation, why would she be brutally murdered by her son?"

According to the Dunnings, this is what happened immediately after Elli Perkins was killed:

A handful of the church's national leaders arrived at Buffalo Niagara International Airport from New York City and Clearwater, Fla., within 24 to 36 hours of Elli Perkins' death.

Also flying in from New York was a member of the Office of Special Affairs, the church's legal bureau.

The out-of-town officers gathered Buffalo's church management and instructed them not to discuss Perkins' death with anybody, especially reporters.

"They told us, "Don't say anything, we will handle this. It's a job for the higher-ups,' " Rich Dunning recalled. That included leaving out any reference to Scientology in Elli Perkins' obituary, although memorial donations were solicited for the Church of Scientology in a paid death notice.

Source: Buffalo News

It looks like this case inspired the Buffalo News to do a series on the Church of Scientology and its many questionable or criticized practices. This is a summary of the things which the reporter found when researching the organization and interviewing people about their experiences:

Scientology can tear apart families. The Buffalo church pressures some of its members to sever contact from loved ones critical of Scientology.

It uses deceptive practices. Some of the Buffalo church's recruitment methods - such as a "free personality test" - lack professional credibility.

The church seeks legitimacy through government alliances. The Buffalo church wooed city and Erie County officials in an attempt to escape its reputation as a cult. Mayor Anthony M. Masiello obliged by declaring "Church of Scientology of Buffalo Day"; county jail officials joined church officials in trying to bring a Scientology-related drug program to Erie County Holding Center.

It practices intimidation and harassment. The Church of Scientology has a history of using lawsuits to silence critics, and private investigators to spy on them.

Spiritual pursuit is costly. Advancing personal spirituality within the Church of Scientology can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

To varying extents, some of these points can be true of other religious organizations. Small fundamentalist Christian churches may encourage members to have little to do with unsaved family members, for example. Many larger Christian churches obviously seek greater legitimacy and publicity through government alliances — that's far too common, in fact. Such mainstream churches do not, however, pressure members to sever contact with family members that are critical of the church and I'm not aware of any mainstream religious groups that practice anything like intimidation and harassment.

http://atheism.about.com/b/2006/11/03/did-scientology-beliefs-lead-to-murder.htm