December 20, 2007
In what is likely to become a black eye for the video game industry, a pair of Colorado teenagers face murder charges following the tragic death of a 7-year-old girl.Lamar Roberts, 17, and Heather Trujillo, 16 (seen at left), told police they were babysitting Heather's sister, Zoe Garcia earlier this month. According to the Rocky Mountain News, the three began acting out a version of Mortal Kombat.
Roberts, apparently drunk, kicked the litte girl. Heather Trujillo told police she "punched [Zoe] in the stomach, karate chopped her lower arms, punched and pinched the victim's thighs, kicked her in the shins, slapped her stomach and buttocks and poked at the victim's chest."
GP: From the limited information available so far, it's difficult to know whether Roberts and Trujillo actually played Mortal Kombat, or whether it is a generic reference to martial arts fighting. In either case, the linkage of the tragedy to the controversial game series is likely to further tarnish the image of the video game industry.
Comments
I hold the PARENTS responsible. if the child was DRUNK then that's the first problem right there. HOW did she get access to alochol?
I hold the TEENS responsible. YOU ACTED OUT VIOLENCE UPON A CHILD YOU WERE BABYSITTING. IF YOU WERE DRINKING, THAT MAKES IT EVEN WORSE.
people like this DESERVE to be locked up, to prevent this from happening again.
No bringing her back, yes that is callous but it is true. I think most people here realize that and won't dwell on that fact. Instead they will opt to discuss the political and media ramifications.
I think everyone else has pointed out the facts, teenagers will blame shift to try to avoid punishment. These particular teens were drunk. Seeing the two, I would be willing to wager that the boyfriend was the one who thought up the "Mortal Kombat made us do it! Just stick to the story are we can get off scott free!" angle.
That is what I think this entire MK bull is; blame shift, lie, choose a scape goat that is not domestic abuse or teen drinking. Those don't work as well at getting the public worked into a spitting rage. The little girl was showing up at school bruised and beaten. The public should be up in arms about that. Was the mother playing these games too and acting them out? Or was the mother just ignoring why her daughter was having the crap beat out of her? I doubt either of those.
These people got drunk, killed a little girl. It is no different than going to a bar, getting loaded, and running down some kid in your car. Did GTA make you do it? No!
Take responsibility for your own stupidity.
I second that. Midway as well as the entire ESA should sue the pants off these two for slander.
Can we move off that subject now? Even the best of us have brain farts, m'kay?
Never before in the history of man have teenagers gotten drunk and beaten someone to death?
Furthermore, there's no evidence that alcohol removes inhibitions and reduces one's capacity for good judgment?
Must be the video games that made them do it. Fire away, JT. You can't POSSIBLY lose this one. After all, you've got a pretty girl turned to a murderer by that black scourge!
For all the proof you need: There is an exceptionally gore-filled "Fatality move" in Mortal Kombat that has an egg placed in the opponent's mouth, just like in this case!
As with alot of people here already. I'm sure the underage drinking will be totally over looked.
I wouldn't be surprised to learn all this videogame imitating stuff is cover up by the teens for someting else far worse.
Jeddy is right. People here, save one, care more about the PR problem this will cause for gaming than the fact that some little girl out there just got fatalitied by some mother^&ckers who need to get their eyes scooped out of their heads.
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Hm, yes, the problem of violence in video games is much-ignored and ought to be discussed seriously, but problably not by those who are threatening extreme violence against the people who committed a horribly violent act and blamed it on a violent video game.
Actually, it was a couple of movies, line of action figures, music cds, comic books, and a TV show. Sure I'm actually forgetting some extras there, but you get the point.
@Guiguibob80
I fully agree, I think once the case develops more we will find that video games had nothing to do with this murder, They were drunk and more then likely on some drug and the boyfriend is going to have some sort of criminal record on assaulting people.
Wonder if the little girl said she was going to tell on them and they felt the needed to beat her until she said she wouldn't.
Swelling in the brain can and quite often is fatal
Agreed, people seem to be losing focus of the fact that this was NOT a deliberate act, these kids are going to have live with their stupidity for the rest of their lives, they aren't the first kids to accidentally kill one of their group whilst fooling around, nor will they be the last.
I feel sad that a 7-year old died, its a terrible event, there's no doubt of that, but the whole culture of 'someone is responsible for everything' is getting silly. They were drunk by the looks of things, which is often a contributor in tragedies such as this, and they lost track of where the line was, the result was heart-breaking. Whilst the ultimate responsibility of the act falls onto those who struck the blows, people need to keep in focus that it was an accident, not a murder, they weren't trying to kill the girl, they were playing and something went too far and someone died.
It's a tragedy that has been repeated for thousands of years, both in reality and in stories.
They didn't intend it to go that far, in which case the alcohol is probably the culprit for clouding their judgment. How much is the beverage industry going to be attacked for this?
They intended it to go how it did, in which case it's premeditated assault inspired by Mortal Kombat. Question for the panel: If person A copycats previous killer B, is B in trouble?
We have a sick crime here and they're doing what kids do. They're not trying to *blame* Mortal Kombat, they're trying to *excuse* themselves.
(Aside: "Roberts said he cracked an egg in her mouth[...]" Would anyone else have thought of doing that?)
How stupid do you have to be to not consider the consequences of drinking while babysitting?
This story should read, "teen kills girl while under the influence of alchohol."
Welcome to the culture of economically censored and Christian biggoted video game manipulation. We're playing the most watered down and childish crap concieveable and stories like this only make it less offensive and more "kid safe" (although such games are intended for adults in the first place).
EZK: This is not a religious discussion. Please do not try to make it one.
and they dont even know if she even played the games
this is just the media blowing it out of proportion and blaming a game that they remember from the distant past
the way i see it...if nobody popped out of the corner and said "TOASTY!" then this is not something to blame MK on
The death is tragic but it's got about as much to do with Mortal Kombat, as it does with Jackie Chan's Drunken Master movie, or the millions of other martial arts books, movies, and training videos that have been released over the years.
As for us caring more about the PR problem.... This is "Gamepolitics.com" not "IJustLostMyKidInATragicEvent.com" the lies that are being told in order to deflect blame hurt in an effort to save their butts hurts the game industry and adds fuel to the fires of those media crusaders like J.T. who will use this as an example of "How games cause violence".
We aren't unsympathetic to the loss of a child. However there is little we can do to remedy that loss. In my mind the only way to do it would be to make sure that this childs killers are put to justice. And we don't do that by allowing the killers to lie about why they did what they did and point the finger at someone else (games/movies/etc) when they know darn well that they are the ones responsible.
I find it amazing that I always seem to agree with your first couple sentences, but then I end up rolling my eyes and laughing at you by the middle of the next few.
I'm not going to go into it, but please pay attention to the content of games. You'd be either highly ignorant or mad if you believe that perverse moral and economic forces are not contexualizing and defining the content of games intended for adults. Most gamers simply do not possess enough insight and unbias judgment to make such an observation. As Vince Desi put it, "...gamers just don't give a damn or notice censorship."
Anyhow, it's funny the fact that headlines do not even mention the fact that the kid was highly intoxicated...
Roberts, drunk, kicked the little girl.
drunk, kicked the little girl.
drunk, kicked the girl.
drunk, kicked girl.
drunk, kicked
drunk,
So, we've got a game, underage drinking, and 2X movies (the game also had a movie). Yet the articles focus only on the game?
Is this like invonlintary manslaughter with like assult and battery?
I know it's a whole different charge it people intended to kill or plot for it.
Compaired to an "accdent"....though they sure seem intended on beating this little girl up....
They are officially being charged with child abuse resulting death. This holds a sentence of around 16 to 48 years in prison.
E. Zachary Knight
Divine Knight Gaming
OK Game Devs
Random Tower
The term "Lethal Weapon" didn't stem from the movie originally. Sure, the title of the movie comes from the fact that Murtaugh tells Riggs he should be considered a lethal weapon, but that's not the origination of the phrase.
You're a complete retard, seriously.
The teens 'admitted' to being acting out a game? Why would they do that?
Could it be the lesser sentence, or possibility of no sentence? Could it be because like all criminals, they want to say its not their fault and blame the gun maker/game maker/their upbringing?
Robert Coffey once said "Replace murder with stealing the family car, and you've got a kid trying to avoid being grounded".
And if you really think games caused this, then you need to have your brain examined, and be instituionalized.
The day that America is run on emotional responses and hearsay instead of rational thinking is the day that our society will fall apart.
And Jeddy, you're a jackass.
First, we got an underage minor teenage baby sitter and her boyfriend... DRUNK!
Second, apparently the girl they were looking after had a history of abuse, whether within or from outside the family.
Third, I keep thinking back to the old urban legend of a stoned family cooking their baby while under the influence of illegal narcotics.
I think there's a lot of blame to go around, but to pin it entirely on Mortal Kombat, or say that it even partly on Mortal Kombat, is ridiculous.
It could have been Power Rangers...
It could have been WWE Wrestling...
It could have been TNA Impact...
It could have been a Martial Arts movie...
It could have been ANYTHING!
The fact of the matter is that while inebriated, those kids committed murder by beating up a 7-year old girl.
I'd want those kids to live out their lives in jail for this crime! (I'd say fry, but I think growing up and spending the rest of their lives is more humane while being crueler at the same time!)
Furthermore, I want to know what the parents were doing about this? Had they not heard reports that this sitter's boyfriend had abused the girl once before?
And then there's the fact that they were drunk! DRUNK!
Drunk, underage minors committing murder!
It's obscene!
To try and drag video games into this case of clear cut abuse and child neglect is a TRAVESTY! There is no reason why the finger shouldn't be pointed DIRECTLY at the sitter, her boyfriend, and also the child's family.
This isn't about video games! It's about two morally irresponsible teenagers committing a hideous crime and a family who, from preliminary reports, seemed to allow the kind of behavior that led up to this.
To bring video games into this is just a tactic by the media or politicians that want to overly sensationalize this and try and use it for a personal agenda.
And that's almost, if not more, disgusting than the actual murder.
~Otaku-Man
I'm gonna say Child Neglect all around for both babysitters and family.
Assault and Battery for one babysitter (the one who did it)
Accessory for the other.
A count of murder for the babysitter that murdered the child.
And uh....
probably some random charges for underage drinking and intoxication and things of that nature.
My good man, the videogame issue was brought in by the babysitters. They're trying to weasel out of killing a child by blaming it on videogames.
This man is no martial artsist.
I'm a fucking martial artist, and all the times I've been drinking I've never killed or injured anyone.
This is just 2 assholes trying to place blame on videogames.
Never said it was the origin of the phrase. However, what the male defendent said is obviously related to what Murtaugh said. Not the phrase "lethal weapon" but the phrase relating to having your own person be registered as one.
Llama Roberts Wins!
Flawless victory!
(Yes I'm a callous prick)
I can't even imagine how the mother feels, loosing a daughter and knowing your other child had a hand in it?
"I’m a fucking martial artist, and all the times I’ve been drinking I’ve never killed or injured anyone."
Funnily enough, you're paid to kill people, however you want to put it.
On anothr note, i'd like to remind everyone that we have forums, link's at the top of the page, and we'd love to have some new members.