Judge To Murderer: Games Didn't Make You Do It
In one of the speedier trials to feature the "video games made me do it" defense, the judge handling the case rejected the notion that Patrick Morris's mind was warped by the gaming industry. The 19 year-old Morris was on trial for the murder of a 15 year-old boy, in Klamoth Falls, Oregon.
Morris's lawyer claimed that his client, aside from suffering an emotionally traumatic childhood, played "mind-altering video games" enough to warp his sense of right and wrong. Judge Marci Adkisson clearly wasn't buying it, instead focusing on the more disturbing details of the defendant's behavior:
During the three-day trial, prosecutors said Morris shot Aguilar once, then chased him and shot him several more times. He then spit on the body, saying, "That's what you get."
According to numerous articles, the defense called Morris's mother as a witness so she could provide a firsthand reference about how much time he spent gaming; the prosecutors produced Dr. Michael Knapp, who smashed the idea that gaming could warp someone's psyche enough to commit cold-blooded murder. Aside from Knapp's testimony, there was also evidence of prior psychotic behavior in the young man's past:
Prosecutors said Morris' violent tendencies had been emerging in recent years, including an incident in which he took a machete to Mazama High School to threaten another teen. On another occasion, they said, Morris told Vannarath he wanted to shoot somebody.
Thankfully, Morris was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.
Killer chased young victim, spit on body [KGW]
[original story via GamePolitics]
Boy of Tomorrow
Posted to Miscellany on 6 March 2007
Other stuff like this: life in prison, murder, oregon, videogames made me do it
