Games to blame
Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2011 10:29 pm
A depressed kid with access to a gun? According to his pastor father, of course, some one else is to blame, Games.WELLINGTON, Ohio—
A Wellington area teenager killed his mother and attempted to kill his father.
In court, defense attorneys claimed violent video games were to blame.
"We have a young man who's normal, a normal young man until he starts viewing video games," attorney, James Kersey said.
But is that a real defense? An expert says his strong opinions about the grisly crime which occurred October 20, 2007 at the Brighton Township home of Pastor Mark and Sue Petric, is shedding light on a serious problem.
The day before 16-year-old Danny Petric got into a fight with his parents over the video game Halo 3, Mark and Sue Petric forbid Danny from playing the games inside their home.
Unbeknownst to them, Danny had been sneaking out to play the game with friends.
When the Petrics caught Danny with the game, they secured it in a lock box.
"My son Danny was angry with us," said Mark Petric.
That night, as the family prepared to watch the Indians-Red Sox baseball game, Danny entered the living room.
"He says, 'close your eyes, I have a surprise' and we said 'okay,' " said Petric. "The next thing I know, I wake up and my whole head is completely numb."
Daniel had shot his father in the head with a 9mm handgun and then fired multiple shots into his mother, Sue Petric, instantly killing her.
Petric came to moments after being shot and saw his son sitting next to him.
"He kept trying to give the gun to me. He was trying to make it look like a murder-suicide," said Petric.
Fortunately, one of the Petric's daughters, and her husband, arrived at the house to watch the game. They got the gun away from Danny and called 911.
Danny then stole the family's mini-van and fled the scene.
"You know, the only thing he took with him was that video game," Pastor Petric said. "Was he obsessed? Oh yea, big time!"
Danny first began playing video games after an snowboarding injury that kept him confined to the home for more than a year.
It is thought that at that time, Danny also became depressed.
Depression is one of the top 10 causes of teen killers according to the nation's premiere expert on teen murder, Phil Chalmers.
http://www.wtkr.com/news/wjw-pastor-pet ... 6690.story
Hello dad, how did your depressed kid have access to a hand gun?
If he was watching and being obsessed by these games, where was your paternal/pastoral role?
Did you not think that treatment for depression may have been a good thing?
Beam me up Scotty!