Video Game Obsession Cited In Halo Shooter's Lenient Sentencing - Blu-ray Forum

Marine Mike · 06-16-2009, 03:57 PM

Video Game Obsession Cited In Halo Shooter's Lenient Sentencing
By Mike Fahey, 9:40 AM on Tue Jun 16 2009, 638 views

An Ohio judge has granted Daniel Petric a lenient sentence today, citing the teen's video game addiction to Halo 3 as a potential contributing factor in the 2007 shooting that left his mother dead.

Kotaku has been following this story closely since it began in early 2008. 16-year-old Daniel Petric, angered at his parents for taking away the copy of Halo 3 that he had purchased against their wishes, shot both of his parents in the head with his father's 9mm handgun, after requesting that they close their eyes because he had "a surprise" for them. While his father, minister Mark Petric, survived the shooting, his mother did not.

Defense lawyers argued video game obsession as a motivating factor behind the killing...that Daniel didn't think the deaths would be real due to his immersion in Halo 3. While the defense was not enough to save the teen from being convicted in January of this year, it did have an effect on the sentence that Petric received this morning.

Instead of the life sentence prosecutors were aiming for, Daniel Petric will instead be spending the next 23 years of his life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 20 years have been served. Lorain County Common Pleas Judge James Burge addressed the video game issue during the sentencing itself, claiming that it was a factor in his final decision.

I suppose the question we have to ask ourselves now is how heavily does the opinion of one common pleas judge weigh on the court system as a whole? We've seen the video game defense fail time and time again in courtrooms across the country, and while it didn't get the defendant off the hook on this occasion, it certainly had some impact. Does this sentence validate the game addiction defense, or is it simply an isolated event?

mikejet · 06-16-2009, 04:00 PM

This kid has serious mental issues that need to be addressed, those issues are not related to video games. He is obviously mentally unbalanced and it's a shame the court does not see that.

CMM · 06-16-2009, 04:00 PM

I remember this... deserves the rest of his life in prison if you ask me.

The defense lawyers can't honestly believe what they're arguing? I mean, there has to be some moral issues for them...

jadedeath · 06-16-2009, 04:01 PM

Glad to see the little punk got at least 20 years.

I'd recommend frying him, but I don't think that state has the death penalty.

Logan

Jellybeans · 06-16-2009, 04:01 PM

Yeah, i play violent video games and watch horror movies . That doesn't mean i am gonna go on a killing rampage!

Deadset · 06-16-2009, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CMM

I remember this... deserves the rest of his life in prison if you ask me.
.

I think that may be a bit lenient...

Another_Dude · 06-16-2009, 04:03 PM

The judge should have given him the RROD.

Marine Mike · 06-16-2009, 04:10 PM

There is a huge distinction between holding a plastic controller and a steel gun. There are definately different thought processes that goes through your head in my opinion.

supersix4 · 06-16-2009, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikejet

This kid has serious mental issues that need to be addressed, those issues are not related to video games. He is obviously mentally unbalanced and it's a shame the court does not see that.

Yeah lol games made me crazy

what a joke. Just trying to find someone or something else to blame other then his crazy self.

bandit29 · 06-16-2009, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marine Mike

There is a huge distinction between holding a plastic controller and a steel gun. There are definately different thought processes that goes through your head in my opinion.

Ya for most of us. This kid apparently couldn't separate the two. The kid is obviously messed up. If it wasn't videogames that threw him over the edge, it would have been something else with addictive qualities.

I watch & play violent stuff, listen to angry music and I've never even committed a violent crime or been arrested etc. For some reason this kids off switch didn't work.

He should get the chair but it won't change anything.. . One parent lost her life and a kid throws away his life over a 60.00 game. And now the family is scarred for life.

Beta Man · 06-16-2009, 05:31 PM

Kid should get another 20 years for that haircut.

How come all the wackos live in my state.

jadedeath · 06-16-2009, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beta Man

Kid should get another 20 years for that haircut.

How come all the wackos live in my state.

They follow you... their illustrious leader?

Logan

Blu_Ray_UK2007 · 06-16-2009, 06:10 PM

So easy to blame games.. I've been playing them all my life and havent shot anyone yet!

bongzilla · 06-16-2009, 07:02 PM

Great job stupid judge, we now run the risk of running into this
wack job, who kills one of us because we grab the parking spot
he maybe wants.

Judge needs help himself.

Footloose301 · 06-16-2009, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beta Man

Kid should get another 20 years for that haircut.

How come all the wackos live in my state.

I know, right? I hate it when you guys "drive" thru Florida.

You'd think that you got your driving skills from Grand Theft Auto.

Amazingly enough, majority of these drivers that have accidents here are from either Ohio or Michigan.

...just saying....

PH3AR · 06-17-2009, 04:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikejet

This kid has serious mental issues that need to be addressed, those issues are not related to video games. He is obviously mentally unbalanced and it's a shame the court does not see that.

+1 its like that kid that killed someone because he was playing GTA: Vice City to much, i dont think some people get how Video Games are not the cause for unfortinate events like this its the person

Azyiu · 06-17-2009, 04:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikejet

This kid has serious mental issues that need to be addressed, those issues are not related to video games. He is obviously mentally unbalanced and it's a shame the court does not see that.

Right on!!!

Blame it all on video games and video game companies!!!

Fors* · 06-17-2009, 11:40 AM

The more you try to suppress/condemn something from a child, the more the child will want it.....whatever happened to communicating and talking with your child to form trust and understanding before it gets to this level? Now there's a noble concept.....I blame the parents for their lack of action as much as I do him for his actions.

Kyo28 · 06-17-2009, 12:22 PM

I agree that he should have received a stricter sentence, but also should be offered psychiatric counseling in prison. Video game obsession or not, a kid who shoots his own parents like that has mental issues that might never be cured even with lifetime counseling.

Also, his actions (shooting his parents) were competely disproportionate to the actions his parents had taken (take away his video game). Parents usually have their reasons for forbidding certain things. If rules get broken, they are right to act upon it and take action, lest they lose complete control over their child's upbringing.

When I was a young boy, I also didn't understand why my parents imposed certain rules on me or wanted to punish me when not following those rules. Now that I'm grown up and might even have a child myself, I understand their reasons and am grateful they invested so much in my upbringing.

MLK · 06-17-2009, 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by forsberg21

The more you try to suppress/condemn something from a child, the more the child will want it.....whatever happened to communicating and talking with your child to form trust and understanding before it gets to this level? Now there's a noble concept.....I blame the parents for their lack of action as much as I do him for his actions.

wow, how can you blame the parents for this idiot shooting them? the only way you can blame the parents is for allowing him access to the gun.

06-16-2009, 03:57 PM	#1
Marine Mike The Busey Member since:Apr 2008 Location:Ohio Home Theater Gallery:10 Blu-ray collection:120 Blu-ray reviews:4 Trading Score:4	Video Game Obsession Cited In Halo Shooter's Lenient Sentencing Video Game Obsession Cited In Halo Shooter's Lenient Sentencing By Mike Fahey, 9:40 AM on Tue Jun 16 2009, 638 views An Ohio judge has granted Daniel Petric a lenient sentence today, citing the teen's video game addiction to Halo 3 as a potential contributing factor in the 2007 shooting that left his mother dead. Kotaku has been following this story closely since it began in early 2008. 16-year-old Daniel Petric, angered at his parents for taking away the copy of Halo 3 that he had purchased against their wishes, shot both of his parents in the head with his father's 9mm handgun, after requesting that they close their eyes because he had "a surprise" for them. While his father, minister Mark Petric, survived the shooting, his mother did not. Defense lawyers argued video game obsession as a motivating factor behind the killing...that Daniel didn't think the deaths would be real due to his immersion in Halo 3. While the defense was not enough to save the teen from being convicted in January of this year, it did have an effect on the sentence that Petric received this morning. Instead of the life sentence prosecutors were aiming for, Daniel Petric will instead be spending the next 23 years of his life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 20 years have been served. Lorain County Common Pleas Judge James Burge addressed the video game issue during the sentencing itself, claiming that it was a factor in his final decision. I suppose the question we have to ask ourselves now is how heavily does the opinion of one common pleas judge weigh on the court system as a whole? We've seen the video game defense fail time and time again in courtrooms across the country, and while it didn't get the defendant off the hook on this occasion, it certainly had some impact. Does this sentence validate the game addiction defense, or is it simply an isolated event?

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06-16-2009, 04:00 PM	#2
mikejet Banned Member since:Sep 2008 Location:Los Angeles, CA Blu-ray reviews:5 Trading Score:29	This kid has serious mental issues that need to be addressed, those issues are not related to video games. He is obviously mentally unbalanced and it's a shame the court does not see that.

06-16-2009, 04:00 PM	#3
CMM Banned Member since:Dec 2008 Location:I have to return some videotapes Blu-ray collection:42	I remember this... deserves the rest of his life in prison if you ask me. The defense lawyers can't honestly believe what they're arguing? I mean, there has to be some moral issues for them...

06-16-2009, 04:01 PM	#4
jadedeath Blu-ray Knight Member since:Jun 2007	Glad to see the little punk got at least 20 years. I'd recommend frying him, but I don't think that state has the death penalty. Logan

06-16-2009, 04:01 PM	#5
Jellybeans Banned Member since:Oct 2008 Location:Montreal, Canada Blu-ray collection:140 Trading Score:1	Yeah, i play violent video games and watch horror movies . That doesn't mean i am gonna go on a killing rampage!

06-16-2009, 04:03 PM	#7
Another_Dude Blu-ray Guru Member since:Dec 2008 Blu-ray collection:191 Blu-ray reviews:8	The judge should have given him the RROD.

06-16-2009, 04:10 PM	#8
Marine Mike The Busey Member since:Apr 2008 Location:Ohio Home Theater Gallery:10 Blu-ray collection:120 Blu-ray reviews:4 Trading Score:4	There is a huge distinction between holding a plastic controller and a steel gun. There are definately different thought processes that goes through your head in my opinion.

06-16-2009, 05:31 PM	#11
Beta Man Moderator Top contributor Member since:Jan 2008 Location:Juuuuuuuust A Bit Outside.... Home Theater Gallery:4 Blu-ray collection:268 Blu-ray reviews: 18 Trading Score:25	Kid should get another 20 years for that haircut. How come all the wackos live in my state.

06-16-2009, 06:10 PM	#13
Blu_Ray_UK2007 Blu-ray Samurai Top contributor Member since:Feb 2007 Location:UK 4K collection:164 Blu-ray collection:782 Trading Score:1	So easy to blame games.. I've been playing them all my life and havent shot anyone yet!

06-16-2009, 07:02 PM	#14
bongzilla Active Member Member since:Jan 2009	Great job stupid judge, we now run the risk of running into this wack job, who kills one of us because we grab the parking spot he maybe wants. Judge needs help himself.

06-17-2009, 11:40 AM	#18
Fors* Moderator Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Jan 2009 Location:Pottstown, PA Home Theater Gallery:160 4K collection:12 Blu-ray collection:142 Trading Score:11	The more you try to suppress/condemn something from a child, the more the child will want it.....whatever happened to communicating and talking with your child to form trust and understanding before it gets to this level? Now there's a noble concept.....I blame the parents for their lack of action as much as I do him for his actions.

06-17-2009, 12:22 PM	#19
Kyo28 Power Member Member since:Jun 2008 Blu-ray collection:446 Blu-ray reviews:12	I agree that he should have received a stricter sentence, but also should be offered psychiatric counseling in prison. Video game obsession or not, a kid who shoots his own parents like that has mental issues that might never be cured even with lifetime counseling. Also, his actions (shooting his parents) were competely disproportionate to the actions his parents had taken (take away his video game). Parents usually have their reasons for forbidding certain things. If rules get broken, they are right to act upon it and take action, lest they lose complete control over their child's upbringing. When I was a young boy, I also didn't understand why my parents imposed certain rules on me or wanted to punish me when not following those rules. Now that I'm grown up and might even have a child myself, I understand their reasons and am grateful they invested so much in my upbringing.

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