Son kills mother and shoots father over Halo 3 on Xbox 360
A son was so angry, he shot his father and killed mother when they would not let him play Halo 3 on the Xbox 360. Over the years many have made strong cases as to the effects video games have on the psyche of teenagers. It seems this incident will only further fuel these feeling amongst anti-video games activists.
Daniel Petric became angry because his parents would not let him play Halo 3 on his Xbox 360. After the argument, Daniel sneaked out of his house to buy the video game. After returning home, he was confronted by his parents who took the game away and put it into a lockbox. The father put the game into the same lockbox where he keeps a 9mm gun.
According to reports, the son took the gun out and told his parents that he had a surprise for them and to close their eyes. The father stated that he thought he was going to be in for a pleasant surprise, but felt numbness around his head after Daniel shot him.
Daniel also shot his mother in the head killing her. He then tried to make it look like a murder-suicide by attempting to shove the gun into his father’s hand. The son said, “Hey Dad, here’s your gun. Take it.” Mark Petric, the father, broke down in tears in court as he explained how he survived the ordeal. His daughter and her husband showed up at the house in time to hear Mark yelling for help.
Daniel at first tried to prevent his sister and her husband from entering the house by telling them, “You guys shouldn’t come in. Mom and Dad had a big argument.” Mark heard his son saying this and started yelling for help. It truly was a miracle Mark was able to survive a gunshot to the head. Mark is a minister at the New Life Assembly of God in Wellington.
Situations like this will always raise questions as to the affect video games can have on the psyche of young children and teenagers. I believe that there is no clear cut answer, but really dependent of the mentality of the individual. Not all teenagers will be affected in the same manner as Daniel, but one thing that is for sure is constant exposure to violence does indeed desensitize one to it.
However, a combination of desensitization to violence and a unstable mental psyche could have dire consequences in comparison to those who are much more stable. It really does scare me sometimes after hearing young children curse and threaten violence to other people while playing Halo 3 on Xbox Live. It really makes you wonder where their parents are and if they even have a clue.
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37 Responses to “Son kills mother and shoots father over Halo 3 on Xbox 360”
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December 16th, 2008
I don’t think it was Halo, his 360 RROD ….. lol
I actually think it is the calibre of 360 owners.
Just joking dudes….
December 16th, 2008
They should really do a large scale study on the faces of criminals.
Its probably me, but damn I swear most kids/teens you see involved in crimes these days, you can just tell by thier faces they have no respect for anything.
Anywhoos, I say execute him. At very least put him in a cell with halo 3 sealed in a glass case embedded in the wall.
December 16th, 2008
spidey,
Maybe it is just because PS3 games aren’t worth the effort.
Just kidding.
Don’t they have live voice chat capability on PS3? Are there just as many kids cursing and threatening violence to other people in the PS3 alternatives to Halo?
December 16th, 2008
Lock him up and only allow him to play the wii. The punishment fits the crime.
December 16th, 2008
and it clearly has nothing to do with his upbringing or that his dad is a minister at the New Life Assembly of God in Wellington.
December 16th, 2008
phranc… goddammit dude… he’ll get his hands on madworld and no more heroes… thats much worse…
I wonder if this asshole will get the death sentence… poetic fucking justice…
also wanted to say… thank you Bungie… for creating an entire generation of gamers who dont like Left 4 dead and acts like assholes online… ohh and who keel their parents… I hope you enjoy your massive sea of cash… :p
December 16th, 2008
Pure Bull Shit!
Hallo didn’t make him kill them. The fact they took the game away from a spoiled little fuck did.
It would have happened no matter what game he was playing. I blame the idiot parents for not raising a respectful kid. I for one put my kids in check without hitting them so this I have no control stuff is crap. There are ways to discipline a child without smacking them.
I see it every week when I take my kids to Gymnastics. They are so well behaved and the other kids run around like brats and the parents are like spaced out retards ignoring it.
That’s my view. So don’t blame games for bad parenting. And there are a lot of psychos out there that will kill no matter how well they are brought up.
December 16th, 2008
I have to agree. Parents play a huge role in shaping there children into who they are. However, children still have free will. If this kid has a serious mental/social disorder then there parents would be able to only do so much.
For what it’s worth, Halo may be rated M but it’s probably one of the more tame FPSs on the market in terms of blood, gore, and violence.
December 16th, 2008
Maybe if it was Killzone 2 but Halo 3 wow the guy has serious issues his head must be full of Red Rings blinking..
December 16th, 2008
This is a tough one to blame the parents on. You can’t blame them for everything. Obviously they did discipline their children, due to the fact they took the game away. They also payed attention to what he was doing do to the fact they caught him with the game. Too often in our society we have these kids who think they can do whatever they want, including killing their parents do to the discipline they hand out. It’s not the game in this case, it was just the last straw for a mentally ill person!
December 16th, 2008
Maybe they shouldn’t have locked it in a gun lock box. Maybe if they hid it with pillows this whole story would have turned out better.
December 16th, 2008
“Daniel showed little emotion throughout the trial except when his mother’s autopsy photos were flashed on a large screen. He bowed his head and stared at his hands for about 20 minutes while the photos were discussed.
Petric was allowed to visit his son in jail over the past year. He said his son has apologized. “Dad, I’m so sorry for what I did to Mom, to you and to the family,” Daniel said, according to his father. “I’m so glad you are alive.”
“You’re my son,” Petric responded. “You’re my boy.”
He said his wife and their son had a very close relationship.
“He was always her little boy,” Petric told the judge.
Heidi Archer said the family has forgiven her brother and want him to come home because the family cannot heal until they are all together.
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.”
December 16th, 2008
I can’t believe something like this happens and you guy joke about it. You guys are pathetic.
December 16th, 2008
what else should we do CAD??? blame halo?? mourne for someone we dont even know?? how about the millions others who die in different countries… do you read anything about them?? people dying in genocide… who talks about them??
just because you have a boner for little monsters killing because of “video games” doesnt mean that I do to… I dont give a shit for these people… why should I… they dont give a shit for anyone else…
best way to deal with this… make fun of it… the only way to handle pain… so get off your fucking high horse…
December 16th, 2008
Too bad during this kids snowboarding accident he didn’t go the way of Sonny Bono…..
Was that too soon CAD? If I learned anything from Southpark it’s that news needs to be at least 7 years old to finally be funny.
December 16th, 2008
Well first how old is this kid? Second if he is a minor why is the game store selling a minor a game ment for older people. Second why does a pastor have a Gun. There is a lot to be said about parenting. Third don’t parents know the 360 has a Parental Control.
December 16th, 2008
and in case my previous post may be misconstrued, the above is a quote from the original article, not me joking, for the record:
http://www.cleveland.com/news/index.ssf/2008/12/boy_killed_mom_and_shot_dad_ov.html
I don’t think things like this happen all of a sudden, like a light switch being flipped. There is definitely a history here, and perhaps much more that is not mentioned in the article. While that “history of violence” is not an excuse, it can be enlightening.
Meaning, perhaps, the best way for some to deal with this is learn from it, and be grateful for their relative sanity. Honestly, who can’t say they haven’t at least thought of killing somebody in their lifetime? Spiral and repeat that thought over and over with the right circumstances and any one of us might be capable of the same or worse.
Videogames and media are not a direct cause. A lifetime with billions, perhaps trillions of factors (both genetic and environmental) we cannot fathom are the influence that cause us to be who we are today and in the future.
December 16th, 2008
16 when it happened, So more than likely 16 when he bought the game.
The Pastor probably has a gun to deter violence from disgruntled alter boys.
December 16th, 2008
CAD,
16 at the time of the incident. Elyria is not an extremely small town in Ohio, but not a large one either: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elyria,_Ohio . I am guessing he knew the game store clerk he purchased it from.
I am not familiar with a the New Life Assembly of God: http://www.nl-fl.org/ , but I am guessing it could be like some “old time religion” in allowing self defense and firearms.
The guy probably never touched the 360, as my parents never touched my Sega Genesis. Of course they never had to either.
December 16th, 2008
“Was that too soon CAD? If I learned anything from Southpark it’s that news needs to be at least 7 years old to finally be funny.”
22 point something I believe
, I have to say I was thinking the same thing thing this morning lol.
December 16th, 2008
no SW… its 20 something years… remember when Aids was funny ??
December 16th, 2008
I was way off. I must subconsciously not want to wait that long.
December 16th, 2008
Wiki not the best source, anywhoos.
Episode 80.
“It is then determined that AIDS is finally funny, since it has been 22.3 years, and a monument is unveiled declaring it as such.”
December 16th, 2008
Oh hey, instant posting again?
December 16th, 2008
“Oh hey, instant posting again?”
Unless you post links. Then they appear to require moderation.
December 16th, 2008
Uh… back on topic:
It’s pretty clear the video game didn’t really cause this. It could easily have been any other item the psycho kid desired: an mp3 player, drugs, whatever.
Also, I’m kind of on CAD’s side here. I get where DWH is coming from too, but I just am not cool with someone’s personal tragedy being somebody else’s punchline.
-Arvis
December 16th, 2008
ARVIS YOURE BACK!!! it appears you are a traitor 360 fanboy sony hater… Ill go get my pitchfork…
gimme your PSN… we should grind “do the running man” in home… or youre home whichever is better…
and I do feel a lil sad about making fun of stuff like this… but the voice inside my head tell me to keel my parents… I dont know what to do…
December 16th, 2008
“The Pastor probably has a gun to deter violence from disgruntled alter boys.”
Haha. That was the bit that confused me, why does anyone keep a 9mm gun, nevermind a Pastor. And if they put the game in it, it isn’t like it is an ‘emergency only’ lockbox. Sounds bit too casual to me. Do feel really sorry for the man though.
In regards to the son’s very criminal looking face, my lecturer was telling me a few weeks ago that when a test was taken place where a face was averaged out from overlapping the faces of thousands of criminals, the result was a very attractive, young male. Bit of useless info for you there.
December 16th, 2008
the pastor keeps the gun to keep away all the altar boys who come onto him…
lolololololololololololol
December 17th, 2008
I’m staying way away from this topic…..
December 17th, 2008
Keys:
Not meant for children.
“M” for Mature.
Extremely violent music, movies or videogames listened to, watched, or played repeatedly over and over again (we are talking many times continuously here) can have a negative influence on some people, especially those who already have troubled histories, but not everybody.
http://www.freep.com/article/20081216/NEWS01/812160344/1003/news
“”The investigation revealed that the youths would often play violent video games,” Worthy said. “I believe that certain video games are connected to the proliferation of violent crimes being committed by youthful offenders such as Orlewicz and Letkemann.”
Worthy said parents should avoid buying them and bar children from playing them.
Here’s the list of most violent video games and synopses:
• “Blitz the League II” — Steroid and drug use is encouraged and wins are celebrated with hookers in a hotel room.
• “Dead Space” — Players must destroy scary creatures; if the creature catches you, it will dismantle your limbs.
• “Fallout 3″ — Survivors in a post-nuclear world must kill whatever is in their way including giant insects, raiders and super mutants.
• “Far Cry 2″ — Blowing off people’s heads is a regular occurrence.
• “Gears of War 2″ — This game’s main weapon is the Lancer assault rifle, which combines a rifle with a chain saw.
• “Left 4 Dead” — The player is in a city where a new rabies virus is quickly spreading.
• “Legendary” — A thief breaks into a New York museum and breaks into Pandora’s box, unleashing all the world’s evil beasts who destroy all humans.
• “Resistance 2″ — The Chimera alien race kills civilians by the thousands.
• “Saints Row 2″ — The player can choose to beat up strippers, slit rival gang members’ throats or shoot cops.
• “Silent Hill: Homecoming” — At the end of this game, the player is forced to choose between shooting his mother in the head or let a torture device rip her in half.”
December 17th, 2008
DWH,
*throws up hands*
I was never gone!! And I’ve given you my PSN like 50 times! Everyone on this site but you knows it!!!
PSN: Arvis_Jaggamar
-Arvis
December 17th, 2008
DAMMIT ARVIS!! you never gave it to me…
ahem…
ARVIS YOURE BACK!!!
December 18th, 2008
Video games don’t kill people; idiots who play video games and eat at mcdonalds and dress to the right kill people. What’s the correlation? Duh, there isn’t one so stop looking. Do video games cause increased amounts of adrenaline and/or increased aggression? Some do in some people, but the effects are extremely short lived and not near the levels necessary to precipitate these types of events.
The sad fact of the matter with this story is the video game had little to do with the murder itself. The kid obviously wasn’t allowed to play these types of games or had been allowed and the parents were limiting his exposure. Either way, he didn’t get pwnt or interrupted by mommy to do his chores. Plain and simply he was told no and threw an overblown temper tantrum.
When are people going to stop blaming the environment and start holding individuals responsible for their own actions?
December 18th, 2008
DWH,
That’s it, we’re playing Street Fighter tonight so I can e-punch you in the head…
-Arvis
December 18th, 2008
when what time!!!! TELL ME DAMMIT!!!
ARVIS YOURE BACK!!!
December 21st, 2008
mango333,
The “environment”(nurture) you mention is more complex, meaning every factor (at least trillions combined) including every individual thought and exposure to behavior interplaying with the trillions of factors going on in the human body (nature) at any given time.
We are only just now beginning to understand a few influences. One game, movie, piece of music, etc. played, watched, listened to once is likely not to have as much effect as having it repeated a thousand times. And that effect in turn will be different on the individual that happened to have a self-actualizing past vice the one with the abusive past.
In light of this, there does not seem to be any “plain and simply” about it. Most individuals can handle it, a few can’t. The point in realizing the environment may be an influence and studying it is to provide at least some knowledge to allow a parent to raise their child in a good environment. The individuals are still held responsible.