Skyler+Sabin+4B

In 2007, Daniel Petric 16 years of age had been homebound for a year after a snowboarding accident and subsequent debilitating infection. He spent his time watching TV and playing video games, including Halo. His parents forbade him to purchase Halo 3 but the boy went out and bought it anyway. His parents took it away from him immediately, locking it in the father’s lockbox along with the father’s 9mm semiautomatic. This was in September. The next month on October 20th Daniel got his father’s key to the lockbox, took out the gun and the game and shot both his parents, killing his mother, then tried to make it look like a murder-suicide.

Petric waived the right to a jury trial, appearing before Lorain County Ohio Common Pleas Judge James Burge he was tried as an adult. Defense lawyers pleaded insanity due to video game addiction.

Prosecutors pointed to a mental health evaluation that indicated Petric said he thought about killing his parents prior to the murder. Only the evidence of premeditation prevented the judge from ruling not guilty by reason of insanity.

The prosecuters pointed out a mental health evaluation that indicated that Daniel Petric had thought about killing his parents before the murder took place. The evidence of premeditation prevented the judge from ruling not guilty by reason of insanity.

Petric was convicted sometime in January. On June 16th Judge Burge sentenced him to 23 years to life in prison with the possibility of parole instead of the life sentence argued for by the prosecutors. Burge directly addressed the question of the dangers of video games in the sentencing. Among other statements made prior to sentencing.