Crime and Games - 15 Cases of Horrific Crimes

                                          READER DISCRESTION ADVISED

     I don't believe that video games are evil and cause people to carry out these heinous acts, but I do believe they can have an impact on people mentally. When gaming, no matter what game it is, please be aware of your mental state. 

    While many people believe that violent video games lead to violent actions in players, studies show that there is no strong, clear link between violent games and violent actions. However, there are cases where crime and video games go hand in hand. In fact, there's more than I care to think about. Some crimes inspired by video games can be fairly comical in title, but more severe cases do occur. I will be discussing 15 cases where video games influenced real life crimes. The Columbine Shooting will not be discussed in this post, simply due to the fact that I wanted to focus on other cases. I also will not be discussing the case of Dennis King, as I couldn't find a good amount of information to feel solid about discussing the case accurately. However, if you enjoy this post, I recommend doing your own research on that one. These cases wont go into details of the perpetrators past, and will only focus on the video games that influenced their crimes.

1. Nathon Brooks

    On March 8th, 2013, 14-year-old Nathon Brooks crept into his sleeping parent's room and shot both of them, multiple times in the head, with the family's .22 Smith & Wesson revolver. Fortunately, both his parents survived the horrific incident, but not without suffering horrific gunshot wounds and being diagnosed with PTSD after the events.

    But what would cause a child to commit such a horrible act against his parents? Some media outlets say that Nathon didn't know why he did it. Others say video games caused the boy to snap and attempt to murder his family. Nathon was grounded the day before the horrific event, after getting detention at school. Punishing teenagers is always hard, as the same things that worked on them as children no longer work as they've gotten older. His parents punished him in a fairly common way, that I'm sure they didn't think twice about. They prohibited him from playing videos games until further notice. Well, Nathon snapped. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison and is due to be released at some point in 2028.

2.Kendall Anderson

    Much like our first case, Kendall Anderson also attacked his mother because of losing video games. Kendall was from Philadelphia PA, where he lived with his mother Rashida Anderson. In November of 2010, when Kendall was 16 years old, he attacked his sleeping mother. He beat her to death with a hammer, then tried to burn her body in the oven. When this failed, he left her body out in the alley behind their home. Why did he do this? Because of their frequent arguments and the fact that she took away his PlayStation 2. He was originally sentenced to a minimum of 25 years in prison, but in 2012 he pled guilty to third-degree murder and was sentenced to up to 50 years.

3.Nikolas Cruz

    Nikolas Cruz is a name that many will know, and I honestly could write a book on this guy. I'll keep it short and sweet for the sake of your time. Born September 24th, 1998, Cruz is a mass murderer that carried out the infamous Parkland High school shooting on February 14th, 2018, that took the lives of 17 people and injuring 17 more. While not focused on in his trial, there was some evidence of video games playing a part in Cruz's mindset. Reportedly, he would play upwards of 15 hours a day, most games being very violent. His mother had trouble to limit his playing time, due to it being a factor in his hostility at home. In a story for his Language Arts class, he wrote a line that read, "Die, die, die!" When his teacher expressed concern, he simply stated that it was a line from his "Call of Duty" video game booklet. While video games may not have been the direct reason for his crimes, it, without a doubt, played a part. March 7th, 2018, a grand jury indicted him on 34 charges: 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted first-degree murder. However, they also wanted to seek out the death penalty. On October 20th, 2021, Cruz pled guilty to all charges. On November 2, 2022, Cruz was sentenced to 34 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, one for each of his victims. This is just scratching the surface of what a monster this guy is, and if you want to know more details about his case and other, non-related horrors he committed, I suggest doing your own research. Just use your own discretion.

     

4. The Neglect of Baby Sarang 

    This case infuriates me. Parents are supposed to love their kids, care for them, and ensure their safety. However, life isn't like that for everyone. One case that this wasn't the case is the tragic neglect of baby Sarang. Sarang is the Korean word for "Love", but I doubt this child felt any love in her short life. This poor child was only an infant, 3 months old. She couldn't care for herself. She was helpless. She died of neglect and starvation, severely underweight, weighing only 5.5 pounds at the time of her death. Both of her parents were unemployed and living in poverty but would leave their baby alone for 6 to 12 hours at a time to visit local PC cafes to play games. Their game of choice happened to be Prius, a MMOPRG that was very popular at the time. What did they do in this game? Raised an in-game baby. Let me repeat that for you. THEY NEGLECTED THEIR REAL DAUGHTER, SO THEY COULD RAISE AN IN-GAME BABY. Something seems wrong with this picture, right? Right. While the game isn't focused on this aspect, it is a part of it and an even bigger part in this disgusting case. The criminal investigation stated that Sarang lost her life because of her parent's addiction to the game. Wait, it gets better! The court's judge for the case decided to be lenient and gave them a sentence that involved no jail time. NO. JAIL. TIME! It doesn't help, but the father was so guilty that he volunteered himself for incarceration. GOOD FOR YOU BUDDY, GOLD STAR YOU PIECE OF CRAP! This just infuriates me more. You're guilty and trying to make yourself feel better. There is a documentary the covers the case more, both case wise and cultural wise, titled "Love Child", if you can stomach to watch it. I have yet to watch it, but I'm almost certain I'm gonna rage quit.

    

5.Adam Lanza

    Adam Lanza is another infamous name that I'm sure you've heard of. Adam was the perpetrator of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on December 14th, 2012. During the shooting, Adam shot and killed 26 people; 20 children aged 6-7 years, and 6 adult staff members. Before carrying out the horrific event at the school, he shot and killed his mother, Nancy, while she slept. Unfortunately, he took the cowards way out and there was no justice against him. People speculate that video games influenced him, due to the fact that he spent most of his time alone playing video games like "Gears of War" and "Call of Duty". In his room, the games "Left for Dead", "Metal Gear Solid", "Dead Rising", "Half Life," "Battlefield", "GTA", " Shin Megami Tensei", "Dynasty Warriors", "Vice City", "Team Fortress", and "DOOM". He had approximately 83,000 online kills, with 22,000 being headshots. Rest easy to all the staff and sweet babies we no longer have on earth with us, they didn't deserve what that monster did. Even his father said in an interview that he wishes his son had never been born, and that he carries the guilt of what his son did.

6.Anthony Clark

    Let's take a break from the seriousness and go over a case that is comical, in my opinion. Thankfully, from reports I read; nobody was injured with this case. Anthony Clark was a 23-year-old man who thought he was living in a GTA game.  Clark had taken LSD and was tripping when he stole a vehicle, in front of patrol deputies, and led them on a 40-mile-long chase. He stole the 2003 Toyota Camry after the owner of the vehicle had been arrested on an unrelated DUI case. Deputies were waiting for a tow truck to come take the car, and that's when Clark got in and drove off. He ended up crashing through chain link fences off the roadway, ran over two spike strips and drove the wrong way down the road. He was bumped by a patrol car, which caused him to spin out. He then tried to hit another patrol car before running off. He ran to a mobile home area and tried to steal another car but was apprehended before he could do so.

7.Alexandria Tobias

    This is another case that makes my blood boil. 22-year-old mother, Alexandria Tobias normally had a good reputation as a parent. That is, until she shook her baby to death. What was she doing that made her snap when interrupted? She was playing FarmVille. You remember FarmVille? Basically, a farming sim game that was popular on Facebook in the 2010s. You'd get irritated with your friends for constantly sending you requests for help and all in it. If you weren't getting irritated with it, you probably were that friend. I'm joking! I played it a little myself back in my younger days. Anyways, little baby Dylan was only 3 months old when his life would come to a tragic end. He was the first child Tobias had. January 2010, Tobias was enjoying her day by playing some FarmVille, one of her favorite Facebook games. Dylan was rushed to the hospital when Tobias called 911 after he stopped breathing. He had several head injuries, as well as a broken leg. Doctors described his death as "abusive head trauma". At first, Tobias told police that a dog had knocked Dylan off the couch, and he hit his head when he fell. Some sources also said she blamed her boyfriend and his mother. Eventually she did confess that she lost her temper with her baby, while playing the game, due to him distracting her with his crying. She became so angry, she got up and shook her son, before going outside and for a cigarette, before coming back in and shaking the baby yet again. Some sources say that she also hit his head off the corner of her computer. She confessed, so she did not go to trial. October 27th, 2010, she pled guilty to the murder of her son on second degree charges. In some articles, it discussed some childhood traumas that Tobias had dealt with, and while yes, her trauma is sad, that is absolutely NO excuse for killing your child. There is NEVER an excuse for killing a child. In 2011, she was sentenced to 50 years in prison. 

8.Anders Breivik

    On July 22, 2011, in Norway, far right-wing extremist Anders Breivik would carry out a horrible attack, causing the death of 77 people and injuring a further 32. Breivik had issues his whole life, but in 2002, at the age of 23, he started a 9 year plan to finance his 2011 attack. His first attack on that fateful day was a car bomb explosion in the executive government quarter of Norway at 3:25pm. This attack killed 8 people, and injured at least 209 others. Less than 2 hours later a second attack occurred at a youth summer camp. Breivik dressed in a homemade police uniform and took a ferry to the island where the camp was located. Once there, he opened fire on the group there and ended up taking the lives of 69 people and injuring over 32 more. When he was confronted by authorities, he surrendered without resistance. He was charged with 8 counts of van bombing, 210 counts of attempted bombing, 69 counts of murder, and 32 counts of attempted murder. He was sentenced to the maximum containment penalty in Norway - 21 years. However, this could be extended, as long as he was deemed a danger to society. In his manifesto, it's stated that he played World of Warcraft for relaxation, but at the same time, he used Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 as training simulator. He played it using a hologram device to make the gameplay 3-D, therefore making it feel more real.

9.Daniel Petric

    Much like cases 1 and 2, this case deals with parricide (the killing of a parent(s)). Daniel was only 16 years old when he shot both his parents, killing his mother. According to his father, Daniel had a loving relationship with both his parents and friends said he was a normal, happy teenager. When he was a teen, Daniel was introduced to the video game series, Halo, shortly after being in a skiing injury. He was recovering from a severe spinal injury and was housebound for about a year, when his friend introduced him to the series. He quickly became addicted and would often play for 7 or 8 hours a day. His father, who was a Pentecostal Minister, strongly disapproved of violence in video games. He ordered his son to stop playing the video games or leave the house. Daniel did leave and move in with the friend who introduced him to the game, but that was only for about a week, where he'd play the game for up to 18 hours a day with minimal breaks. Daniel then decided to move home, but bought a copy of Halo 3, without his parents knowing. His father found out about the game and confiscated it, putting it into a safe the family owned. This safe also held his father's 9mm handgun. About a week later, on October 20th, 2007, Daniel found the key to the safe, where he retrieved his game... and the gun. Around 7pm that night, Daniel's parents were sitting on the couch, when Daniel walked up behind them. He asked them, "Would you close your eyes? I have a surprise for you." That's when he shot them both multiple times. He then placed the gun in his father's hand, to make the crime look like a murder suicide. Minutes later, Daniel's sister and her husband arrived at the house. Daniel tried to keep them from entering the home, but they forced their way it. Upon seeing the horrible scene, his sister called the authorities. During this time, Daniel tried to flee in the family's van, but was arrested while driving. Thankfully, his father survived the ordeal. Due to his age, Daniel couldn't get the death penalty. He was convicted of aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, and tampering with evidence. He was sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 23 years.

10. Devin Moore

    This will be a relatively short case coverage. Devin Moore was 18 years old when he committed his crime. The young man loved playing Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. One main thing you can do in this game is kill police officers. His case brought a ton of controversy around the game. On June 7, 2003, Moore was  being booked on suspicion of car theft. During the process, he committed 3 acts of  first-degree murder, killing two police officers and a dispatcher. Moore then fled in one of the patrol cars. He was later apprehended and during his recapture he stated, "Life is a video game. Everybody's got to die sometime." When he was in custody, he admitted he killed the officers because he didn't want to go to jail. On October 9, 2005, he was sentenced to death by lethal injection. Before his crime, he had no criminal record and had enlisted in the Air Force. He was due to leave at the end of the summer.

 

11. Daniel Felipe Petry - USE EXTREME DISCRETION WHEN READING

   Brazil: July 23, 2007 - Gabriel Kuhn lost his life. He was only 12 years old. His killer was a close friend. Somebody he thought he could trust. Daniel Petry was 16 years old when he was arrested for killing his friend. Why? Let's dig in. Not much is known about Daniel's early life, and he only became infamous after this incident. Daniel met Gabriel on the online game "Tibia", where they talked to each other frequently. The two were also neighbors, and this connection led them to become good friends. One time, Gabriel requested Daniel to lend him 20,000 in the in game currency (which was equivalent to $1.75 USD). The young boy promised to return the money in a few days, so Daniel agreed. Several days passed and Daniel didn't hear anything from his friend. When he looked, he saw Gabriel had also blocked him on the in game contacts. Daniel soon became enraged that his friend was ignoring him and not paying him back. This I could understand. If somebody told me they'd pay me back, and then proceeded to ignore me, I'd be pretty upset too. However, I wouldn't do what Daniel did next. On that fateful July 23rd, Daniel went to pay his friend a visit. Gabriel didn't want to open the door at first, but Daniel said he was there for peace. That's when Gabriel made the fateful decision to allow Daniel into his house. Daniel closed the door behind him, then began to assault Gabriel. He beat him until he fell unconscious. during the attack, Daniel sodomized the child multiple times. He also took the game console chord and strangled him. However, this didn't kill Gabriel. Daniel was going to hide the body in a crawlspace after beating him. In order for the body to fit, he needed to dismember it. Daniel grabbed a knife and a hacksaw to cut off Gabriel's legs. Once he started the process, Gabriel regained consciousness and began screaming. Since the poor child wasn't dead, Daniel continued to assault and butcher him, eventually cutting his torso in half. Once he was done with his heinous act, he placed the boy's legs and the hacksaw by the front door, leaving the child where he laid. Gabriel's brother was the one who found the horrific sight and got a neighbor to help. Upon seeing the carnage, the neighbor phoned the police. Daniel was quickly arrested, after the police saw his digital footprint. He admitted to everything, without remorse. At his trial, the judge asked if he wanted to apologize to Gabriel's family. He simply replied, "Gabriel was a coward and a thief. He's burning in hell right now where I sent him. And when I die, I will find him in hell and finish my revenge." His punishment for this awful crime? 3- years in a juvenile delinquent facility. In my opinion, and I think many would agree, justice was not served for little Gabriel. He was killed over a measly $1.75, and his killer was only locked up for 3 years. Absolutely disgusting.

12.Patricia Waible

    This is a pretty basic and simple case. Patricia Waible was a 52 year old Nursing Assistant that worked at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center. On July 3, 2016, she was working the overnight shift and was supposed to do hourly rounds to check on her patients. However, she didn't do this. Instead, Waible was playing video games, neglecting her patients. This resulted in the death of a Mr. Bill Nutter, who was a Vietnam veteran and a retired police detective. He was 68 years old. Waible claimed she had done her hourly checks, but video surveillance proved that wrong. She pled guilty and was sentenced to no more than 5 years in prison, 1 year of supervised release, and a fine of $2500,000.

13.Johnathan Fair

    Okay, I hope this joke of a man is rotting in prison, beat the same way he did to this little girl. December 13th of 2018, Fair was babysitting his girlfriend's daughter, Skylar. Skylar was a normal 4 year old little girl, doing 4 year old little girl things. However, on that fateful night, Skylar would make a mistake that would cause her to lose her life, all because of this monster. Skylar accidentally spilled juice on Fair's Xbox. As a result, Fair beat her, and shook her "really hard", as a punishment. He did take her to the hospital after she passed out during the attack, but told doctors she had fell and hit her head. The doctors tried to save the child's life, by reducing the brain swelling, but to no avail. Authorities also reported that doctors noticed signs of physical abuse that went back months. Initially he was charged with aggravated battery to a child, but that was later raised to multiple counts of first degree murder. Fair was sentenced to 22 years in prison, and will be up for parole in June of 2044. Let's hope this monster never gets near another child again.

14.Tyrone Spellman

    Much like the last case, this dirt bag should never see the light of day again. Spellman was convicted of third-degree murder and child endangerment after killing his 17-month-old daughter, Alayiah. At the time of the event, Alayiah's mother was sleeping in the other room. Tyrone was gaming when his daughter pulled on the cords of his Xbox, causing it to fall. This enraged Spellman and he began to beat his baby. He cracked her skull several times and it's speculated that he may have also thrown her across the room. He confessed to his crimes the following day, but claimed that it was pushed and he only lied to protect the baby's mother. He claimed that Alayiah had actually fallen off the bed, but that was proven false. He was sentenced to the maximum of 22 to 45 years in prison. In my mind, that's not long enough.

15.David Katz

    Katz was taking part in a Madden NFL 19 video game tournament on August 26th, 2018. This event was taking place at the GLHF Game Bar at the Jacksonville Landing. This event had about 130-150 people, including competitors and viewers.  After Katz lost a game, he refused to shake the hand of the winning player, then proceeded to leave the venue. He returned shortly with a handgun. He fired a total of 12 shots, killing 2 people and 10 others. Onlookers stated that he didn't go after the viewers, but rather focused his rage on the other players. The event was being streamed on Twitch, which means that the attack was streamed as well. In total, the attack lasted 5 minutes, ending with Katz taking the coward's way out and turning the gun on himself. In total, he killed 3 people (including himself) and injured 11. 

Moral of the story, don't let video games control your life. Don't be a horrible human. Have self control. Happy Gaming!