Here is a disturbing story about a boy who didn't get his own way.

[Jonathan Bailey]

Daniel Petric killed mother, shot father because they took Halo 3 video game, prosecutors say

"Daniel's lawyer, James Kersey, gave a short opening statement. He said his client had been under great stress at the time of the shooting because of a snowboarding accident that resulted in a severe staph infection. It left Daniel with such severe spinal damage that the slightest injury could leave him paralyzed.

Daniel was homebound for a year with nothing to do but watch television and play video games, Kersey said. It was during that time that he became fascinated with the Halo series and would play them for hours at friends' houses. His father forbade the games, saying that were too violent and sexually explicit."


Is Daniel evil or severely disturbed? I fear that today's youth have precious little regard for human life and a very weak understanding what death really is.


This reminds me of a story about a teenage boy who killed both his parents because they wouldn't buy him a car he wanted. This was circa 1979-1980. It was in a local SF newspaper at the time and my grandfather had told me about it. My parents wouldn't let me have a car all through high school but I never dreamed of killing them over it.

 

[SalixIncendium]

I fear that today's youth have precious little regard for human life and a very weak understanding what death really is.

Wait. How many of today's youth shot their parents for taking away a video game?

How do you go from one isolated incident to "OH NOES!! TODAY'S YOUTH ARE BROKEN!!"?

 

[Twilight Hue]

Daniel Petric killed mother, shot father because they took Halo 3 video game, prosecutors say

"Daniel's lawyer, James Kersey, gave a short opening statement. He said his client had been under great stress at the time of the shooting because of a snowboarding accident that resulted in a severe staph infection. It left Daniel with such severe spinal damage that the slightest injury could leave him paralyzed.

Daniel was homebound for a year with nothing to do but watch television and play video games, Kersey said. It was during that time that he became fascinated with the Halo series and would play them for hours at friends' houses. His father forbade the games, saying that were too violent and sexually explicit."


Is Daniel evil or severely disturbed? I fear that today's youth have precious little regard for human life and a very weak understanding what death really is.


This reminds me of a story about a teenage boy who killed both his parents because they wouldn't buy him a car he wanted. This was circa 1979-1980. It was in a local SF newspaper at the time and my grandfather had told me about it. My parents wouldn't let me have a car all through high school but I never dreamed of killing them over it.

People killed over a slew of stupid things is commonplace.

The guy is clearly psychopathic who obviously has not been paralyzed by his rampage.

Now he gets to play the game soap and shower. The remastered version.

if anything, he is an excellent poster boy for people who are deciding whether or not to get an abortion.

 

[Galateasdream]

A very sad tale.

Without wishing to be mocking or trite, I do notice that it's not only video games that could be potential factors here:

A) the dad was a pastor, so maybe religion was the issue as much as Halo 3?

B) and it seems the boy didn't have a beard. So maybe shaving is partly to blame?

There's so many possible factors here I feel we really shouldn't rush to pick up on just one thing because it aligns with some pre-conceived notion we have.

My sympathies for all concerned.

 

[Shad]

Daniel Petric killed mother, shot father because they took Halo 3 video game, prosecutors say

"Daniel's lawyer, James Kersey, gave a short opening statement. He said his client had been under great stress at the time of the shooting because of a snowboarding accident that resulted in a severe staph infection. It left Daniel with such severe spinal damage that the slightest injury could leave him paralyzed.

Daniel was homebound for a year with nothing to do but watch television and play video games, Kersey said. It was during that time that he became fascinated with the Halo series and would play them for hours at friends' houses. His father forbade the games, saying that were too violent and sexually explicit."


Is Daniel evil or severely disturbed? I fear that today's youth have precious little regard for human life and a very weak understanding what death really is.


This reminds me of a story about a teenage boy who killed both his parents because they wouldn't buy him a car he wanted. This was circa 1979-1980. It was in a local SF newspaper at the time and my grandfather had told me about it. My parents wouldn't let me have a car all through high school but I never dreamed of killing them over it.

James seems distributed by social isolation, limited mobility and a fundamentalist family all coming together at once. The other example seems like entitlement mixed with a mental problem.

 

[Mock Turtle]

A very sad tale.

Without wishing to be mocking or trite, I do notice that it's not only video games that could be potential factors here:

A) the dad was a pastor, so maybe religion was the issue as much as Halo 3?

B) and it seems the boy didn't have a beard. So maybe shaving is partly to blame?

There's so many possible factors here I feel we really shouldn't rush to pick up on just one thing because it aligns with some pre-conceived notion we have.

My sympathies for all concerned.

I suspect access to a gun was the main issue here although no doubt many will kill by other means - but guns are just too convenient.

 

[Darkforbid]

In the UK you're not considered a boy at 17

 

[Vinayaka]

It could well be mental illness, and I don't think we should gloss over that possibility. I taught a student once who was very self-centered. He couldn't seem to understand fair play at all. In PE class (Grade 5) he honestly figured that he shouldn't have to take turns in games like floor hockey, where taking turns was part of it. In class, he couldn't share, and was generally un-co-operative. I referred him for counselling, spent many hours counselling him myself, and observed a whole lot, as a learning process for me, knowing I might find strategies for dealing with it in the future. It remained frustrating, I didn't think I'd seen one iota of improvement over the yea.

In Grade 7 when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and subsequently passed away, my thoughts became clearer on him, as that gave an explanation.

 

[Jonathan Bailey]

In the UK you're not considered a boy at 17

The Beatles were sometimes called BOYS in their early 20's.
Could have been that soft, youthful clean-shaven look in their
earlier black and white TV days.

I guess they "earned their manhood" as they approached their 30's sporting beards and/or mustaches.

 

[Jonathan Bailey]

I suspect access to a gun was the main issue here although no doubt many will kill by other means - but guns are just too convenient.

The presence of the gun did not motivate the boy to do what he did. It did not twist his arm. He apparently had no understanding or appreciation of the gravity of death.

Back before arcade games, there was at least one case of a boy who killed both parents for not getting a car he wanted, a Trans Am if I remember correctly. 1979 or 1980. Around that time there was another news story of a young couple who traded their newborn baby in on a Corvette through a private transaction. Yes, a few young people were so mad about cars, especially speedy cars, then they'd even kill their family members over them or discard family members like trash. Would you trade your wife in for a good horse?

 

[Father Heathen]

In the UK you're not considered a boy at 17

Thanks for the random bit of trivia?

 

[Father Heathen]

How the hell are any of the "Halo" games sexually explicit?

 

[Jonathan Bailey]

How the hell are any of the "Halo" games sexually explicit?

I don't know. I've never played any of them and I never will.

 

[Mock Turtle]

The presence of the gun did not motivate the boy to do what he did. It did not twist his arm. He apparently had no understanding or appreciation of the gravity of death.

Back before arcade games, there was at least one case of a boy who killed both parents for not getting a car he wanted, a Trans Am if I remember correctly. 1979 or 1980. Around that time there was another news story of a young couple who traded their newborn baby in on a Corvette through a private transaction. Yes, a few young people were so mad about cars, especially speedy cars, then they'd even kill their family members over them or discard family members like trash. Would you trade your wife in for a good horse?

But it's not about motivation, it's about convenience. Guns are used to kill others apparently because guns are handy. Very young kids have killed other kids too, presumably not knowing of the true consequences, but the guns were available to them. It's just a lot easier to kill with a gun than by most other methods.

Very few non-Americans would probably see the availability of guns in the USA as being anything other than being stupid but many or even most Americans will not see it this way. It's understandable that this is how it is.

 

[Terry Sampson]

My parents wouldn't let me have a car all through high school but I never dreamed of killing them over it.

And it's a good thing you didn't, because you'd be living in a cell at San Quentin instead of living in Lawton Oklahoma.

 

[Samael_Khan]

Daniel Petric killed mother, shot father because they took Halo 3 video game, prosecutors say

"Daniel's lawyer, James Kersey, gave a short opening statement. He said his client had been under great stress at the time of the shooting because of a snowboarding accident that resulted in a severe staph infection. It left Daniel with such severe spinal damage that the slightest injury could leave him paralyzed.

Daniel was homebound for a year with nothing to do but watch television and play video games, Kersey said. It was during that time that he became fascinated with the Halo series and would play them for hours at friends' houses. His father forbade the games, saying that were too violent and sexually explicit."


Is Daniel evil or severely disturbed? I fear that today's youth have precious little regard for human life and a very weak understanding what death really is.


This reminds me of a story about a teenage boy who killed both his parents because they wouldn't buy him a car he wanted. This was circa 1979-1980. It was in a local SF newspaper at the time and my grandfather had told me about it. My parents wouldn't let me have a car all through high school but I never dreamed of killing them over it.

People have killed for more idiotic reasons. Like when taking orders from a person who is a figment of their imagination.

 

[Terese]

How the hell are any of the "Halo" games sexually explicit?

Chief’s voice is too

 

[columbus]

Considering how big the population of America is. And the violent and stratified and dysfunctional culture, and the media and drugs and weapons, it's more surprising that there aren't more episodes like this.
Tom

 

[Dan From Smithville]

The presence of the gun did not motivate the boy to do what he did. It did not twist his arm. He apparently had no understanding or appreciation of the gravity of death.

Back before arcade games, there was at least one case of a boy who killed both parents for not getting a car he wanted, a Trans Am if I remember correctly. 1979 or 1980. Around that time there was another news story of a young couple who traded their newborn baby in on a Corvette through a private transaction. Yes, a few young people were so mad about cars, especially speedy cars, then they'd even kill their family members over them or discard family members like trash. Would you trade your wife in for a good horse?

What kind of horse we talking about here?

 

[PureX]

James seems distributed by social isolation, limited mobility and a fundamentalist family all coming together at once. The other example seems like entitlement mixed with a mental problem.

I agree. These kinds of incidents almost always have a confluence of factors fueling them. And even then, there is that inexplicable factor that makes one person react with violence when another person under the exact same strain would not. It's "fun" to pass judgement and imagine that we "know better" or "are better" people, but that's all just fiction serving the ego. And if we really did know better, we'd know better than to serve our own ego with slanderous fictions about other people's misfortunes.