Teenager Kills Mother, Shoots Father Over Halo 3
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Daniel Petric Kills Mother, Wounds Father
Daniel Petric, a teenager from Ohio was charged and found guilty for aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder for killing his mother and wounding his father in Oct 20, 2007 because they wouldn’t let him play Halo 3.
Daniel was 16 when he snuck out of the house to buy Halo 3 after his parents told him he was not allowed to play it. His father, Mark Petric 45, forbade him to play it because it is very violent in nature and sexually explicit. Halo is a violent first person shooter. He was caught with the game on his way back and his father put away the game in a lockbox in their closet. Unfortunately this is the same box they kept their 9mm handgun.
A month later, Daniel took his father’s key and took both the game and the gun. Prosecutors described the situation by saying Daniel Petric then went to his parents room while concealing the weapon and said “Would you close your eyes? I have a surprise for you.”
Mark Petric Cries in Testimony
His father, Mark Petric testified that he was expecting something pleasant but instead went numb. All he remember was that later Daniel was putting the gun into his hands saying “Hey Dad, here’s your gun. Take it”.
His father only survived because his daughter, Heidi Archer and her husband, Andrew, happen to come over to watch a baseball game. Unfortunately Susan Petric, the mother of Daniel, died of the gunshot wound to the head. She was shot in the head, arms and chest.
Heidi and Andrew testified that Daniel told them not to go in because “Mom and Dad had a big argument”. They pushed their way in anyhow and found the elder Petric badly wounded but was able to hear him say that his son had shot him. Daniel in turn tried to blame the father. As Heidi called 911, Daniel picked up the handgun but it was immediately taken away by her husband. Daniel gave it up without much resistance. He then fled the scene. He was picked up by the police with Halo 3 still in his possession.
Petric’s sister, Holly, testified that Daniel had become addicted to video games while stuck at home after getting staph infection due to a snowboarding injury. One of Daniel’s friends, Jonathan Johnson, testified that Daniel was so obsessed with the Halo series that he would come over to play 7-8 hours a day. One weekend, the week before the shootings, he played 16-18 hours a day only pausing to eat, sleep and use the restroom. Mark Petric said that he and his son had a great relationship but that he had to put his foot down when it came to his obsession with this game.
The defense tried to dispute that daniel committed aggravated murder because it requires prior calculation and design. His lawyer, James Kersey, said the shooting was not planned. They pleaded insanity because he was under the influence of “Halo 3″. The prosecutor Tony Cillo argued that Daniel was fully aware of what he was doing and that he had told the forensic psychologist he had plotted this shooting a week before including making it appear like a murder suicide.
Mark Petric, a minister, still frequently visits his son in jail. He said that his son did apologize for what he did has said to him “Dad, I’m so sorry for what I did to Mom, to you and to the family. I’m so glad you are alive.” Mark had testified that his mom’s relationship with Daniel was very close. Since then the family has forgiven him for what he had done and one day hopes to have him return home. THe family did ask Judge Burge to acquit him. During the pronouncement of the sentence, Mark told his son “I love you, Danny”.
Daniel faces up to a life in prison without parole
- What is your initial reaction to the fact that a boy shot his parents over his obsession over a video game?
- Was the Father right to refuse to let his child play a game he found to be inappropriate considering his growing obsession?
- What are your thoughts on the defense pleading “insanity” because of Halo 3?
- Thoughts about the family forgiving him?
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How is Halo 3 sexually explicit? I wouldn’t really even call it violent. It’s a video game. If someone kills their parent’s because they wouldn’t let them play a video game there is a problem with the child, not the game.
The person in question is the son of a minister, maybe that’s the problem.
Halo 3 has no sexuality whatsoever.
Initial reaction:
What the? How could someone commit murder over a Video game? Must be clinically insane.
Was the farther right to refuse him playing it?
It is his decision. BUT, if it’s because of the reasons that he stated, then they are poor ones. Poor because the game was not researched well, or at all. He just came up with them. He didn’t even look at the box. One, it is almost fantasy violence. And 2, it is not sexually explicit. There is nothing to do with sexuality at all. This is just making up reasons for him not to play it. Refusing him to play the game at all is too far. Playing 8 hours a day is very unhealthy, true, but he should be able to play maybe an hour during school days, and maybe 2 or 3 on week ends. As long as he is doing his school work and goes out to socialise (and I know he used to, he Snowboards!), he should be able to play.
Insanity? Temporary. It is very possible to become so obsessed with video games, to the point of heavy addiction. In fact, I have had it happen to me. From when I was 12 to 15 (17 now) I developed intense growing pains in my knees. I was unable to run and exercise. I became depressed and I lost my fitness, and because of this my grades have slipped, lacking endorphins. I became obsessed games, since during out of school, playing games was all I could do to pass time.
Forgiven? I can’t say, I never have witnessed something like this. Depression can destroy families if not uncovered soon enough. Playing games can be like drinking. It subsides the pain, you’re taken out of your life and put into someone else’s shoes, one likely to be ending much happier then your current position, but when the game is turned off/you sober up, you’re stuck with your life again.
Parents should take notice of their children’s habits, whether playing video games or spending time in their room or how much/little they talk to the family. Do they get very defensive against their siblings or even against you, even if you meant no harm. In the case of playing video games, just like tobacco and alcohol, you can’t take it away, cold turkey, and not get negative results. Depression, aggression, rage. You need to offer other opportunities, since that is what they are lacking, to sway from the games and get outside. Get your child’s friends to do something (Make sure they are his/her friends, not people you would like them to be friends with, the depressed are likely to be jealous of anyone in the world, believe me, I know). Get them to call and invite them to their activities.
This is what I believe, and I have known what it’s like first hand. I know that this is what it is like. You feel alone, you have no pride. Pride isn’t a socially good thing, but having even the opportunity for pride, but not being arrogant.
Jeez, I could go on and on, but I just realised no one will actually read this, so why bother?
Appreciate all the comments. I noticed this got picked up in the bungie Halo forums so we are seeing a large influx of visitors from there. Lots of Halo fans giving their input about this story. We definitely value your input, we just ask everyone to keep your comments sensitive.
Thanks!
I love how they pin it on video games like they always do because they don’t have anything else to blame it on. <>
something must be wrong with the child or his parents. he seems like he needs a lot of help. Lots and lots and lots of help. <>
P.S. I want him to be my friend on Xbox Live.
Fail. As stated before, none of the 3 Halo Games have any sexual content of any kind. The Halo 3 game box has an ESRB Game rating with given reason for it’s rating. They were “Blood and Gore”, “Mild Language” and “Violence”.
Looking at the other so called “very violent” first person shooter’s commonly played today, calling Halo 3 very violent is laughable. Consider Left 4 Dead, Killzone 2, Army of Two, Rainbow Six Vegas 2, Gears of War 2 and plenty more. Halo 3 is remarkable clean in language, gore and violence compared to all of these games. Most of these games have an ESRB saying the game contains “Intense Violence.”
To blame the game is ridiculous. Sounds like the son has a certain level and instability and their is no justification for shooting another human being.
The Father claiming that he had a great relationship with his son is a lie. If his son was injured in a snowboarding accident I think the father would have been much more concerned and involved in his sons life long before he became addicted to a video game. Nice story sis, good try. If they had a “great relationship” he would have been able to influence his son in a positive way long before it became a shooting bringing balance and moderation into his life. Sounds like the family had more seriously problems long before Halo 3 ever came into the picture.
Wow. that kid has either mental problems and/or and addiction to a game. IT’S A GAME! GIVE IT UP! i wouldn’t kill anyone because of a game.
I wonder if i ever played him…
anyone know his gamertag?
I would hazard a guess that the kid had a somewhat addictive personality, had it not been Halo, it could have been crack. Or hell, beer. Kid could’ve decided to take up drinking instead of video games and given himself cirrhosis of the liver. But look, there’s never any one thing to blame.
It’s great to be able to say “Well, I wouldn’t do that, it’s just a game.” That’s like saying beer is just a beverage to an alcoholic, or heroin is just a painkiller to a doper. Or that pot is harmless to a schizophrenic. (opens can of worms, steps away) But for some people, due to circumstance, inherent nature or pure dumb luck, get hooked.
Getting addicted to a game would probably be like getting addicted to cigarettes. In 72 hours, the nicotine is all but gone from your system. So it’s not truly a chemical dependence. It’s a mental dependence on the physiological response to the chemical. Same way you have adrenalin junkies, or sex addicts. Sometimes you develop a dependence on a certain thing, either physiologically or mentally, and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it. Sometimes people get over it, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes it takes destroying everything they hold near and dear to wake them up. Sometimes not even that does the trick.
This aberrant behaviour is nothing new. Violent video games have simply taken the place of horror films, marijuana, LSD and rock’n'roll music as the knee-jerk scapegoat for all the youth’s ills.
It’s all a very small step from ‘The Devil made me do it.’
Its not Halos fault oh and where did the father ever get the idea that halo had anything to do with sex come on theres nothing remotely to do with sex but anyway its not halo faults. it was a cry for help that wasnt anwsered very good job parenting guys A+.
Not to mean btw just you gotta pay attention to the ways kids act if a kids gonna sneak out to buy the game/ go to a friends house to play it almost 24/7 you should talk to them about it and not lock it up next to gun next time… just saying
* What is your initial reaction to the fact that a boy shot his parents over his obsession over a video game?
stupid move. but his parents should not have restricted him to begin with. he is 16. if he wants to play a shooter game, let him. what the hell is up with all these restrictive parents? do they not know how to tell their children that movies//games are all fake and just for entertainment?!?! instead, they take the easy (horrible) way out and just ban it all.– this is what causes kids to have personality problems.
* Was the Father right to refuse to let his child play a game he found to be inappropriate considering his growing obsession?
no. the father is not the master. the son is not the slave. we live in a different generation than our fathers. back in our father’s day, wearing a 2 piece bathing suit (for all you ladies out there) would of had you shunned or even (maybe) put in jail?- ya… exactly… what was once inappropriate is now the norm. why? because people relax and realize all those fears and regulations they had were all Bull****.
* What are your thoughts on the defense pleading “insanity” because of Halo 3?
good strategic move. because this was a family affair, and the family has forgiven him. perhaps he should spend a year or two in prison at most. as much as the act was insane, perhaps underneath it all lies a decent kid. the ones to seek justice is the family. the family forgave him. all should be well. i do not believe, in this particular case, ruining his life was the right choice. give him some mental health care.
* Thoughts about the family forgiving him?
he’s family. what else can you do? im sure he regrets it (i hope).
as said before, the victim was the family. and if the family forgave him, there is no need to sentence him. it is not society that deserves that right. as crazy as it sounds, maybe even his mom in heaven forgives him. isn’t that what parents do?
that being said, i agree with macauley.
im sry but that kid does look loopy from that pic.
sry guy.
where was the water house picture taken and the 3d street art diving board taken also can the maker of this site email me about these two questions and one more as soon as possible
Hey john,
Unfortunately I do not know where those specific street arts were taken. I’ll drop you a note.
If you can please put further comments on 3d art on the relevant post. Thanks!
Media Influence
Halo 3 is not sexually explicit, it does have little blood, but is not gorey at all. The writer must have gotten it confused with Grand Theft Auto 4.
My parents don’t let me play shooting games and I doubt they ever will. If a kid shoots his parents over a video game, he should never see a console ever again.
It’s not a bad game, but when someone shoots his parents over it, it becomes very serious, Bungie or Microsoft Game Studios is not to blame for this, it is this messed up teenager thats too obsessed with games.
Actually I am only reporting, what was reported. I am not making the claim that Halo 3 was sexually explicit, in fact I’ve never played it so I can’t say.
Perhaps the father was referring to something else, or making a general comment about some of the games his son was playing.
- Media Influence
I love halo. The media is stupid. my 3 year old plays halo and life is all good here. There is a problem wit the child and not the super sexual halo 3. Cortana better put some pants on
Good Lord!
Someone killed for Halo 3?
I think theyre blaming the video games too much.
I mean its violent and stuff.
But it teaches you to kill bad guys, and aliens!
Then about that sexually explicit part… geez…..
Is there?
Rob
I think you need to check yourself if you are letting your three year old play violent games. There are many other games on the market that are more suitable for a three year old. You are introducing this child to violence at a very early age and it could come back to bite you.
well, i’d have to say that the kid’s nuts. i mean im the same age as the dude & my parents let me play. also a person that has the guts to kill his parents over something as insignificant as a video came should be locked up, doesn’t matter if it was intentional or is he was loopy….
Um, “frowny face” I don’t know where in the world you are getting the bathing suit notion. The boy’s father was 45. He was in his teens in the 1970s. Bikini bathing suits were big back then (as were those tight speedoes for men). Shunning or putting someone in jail for wearing a two piece would have been in the 1920s or 1930s.
One thing strikes me as odd. The father who is a minister does not want his son to play a violent video games, but he does have a 9mm handgun in the house…Maybe owning a handgun should be to blame and not a kick ass game like Halo 3. Next time when you hide something from your children don’t put it next to the thing which is made for killing people!
I don’t think it’s all that odd. Just because you own a gun doesn’t mean you are intending to go shooting people. I am sure the purpose was just for protection. Gun owning is pretty mainstream throughout most of the US (except the west & east coast).
Also I am sure the blame falls on multiple points here, but completely neglecting violent video games, violent tv shows & movies would be naive. I myself being a guy, grew up watching such things and its always dramatized and glorified in the media. The idea of running around shooting things, being part of a group infiltrating some base shooting people.. all were things we were exposed to and got excited about. You see little boys running around pretending to shoot things all the time. I am sure this kid was not in the right frame of mind and probably over emotional when he did this, but if he never was exposed to such things throughout his youth, don’t you think there was a better chance of this not happening? I mean where did the boy even get the idea of shooting let alone shooting people? It doesn’t matter if it was shooting “bad guys” or “aliens” as someone noted above, it’s still something somebody (especially an impressionable youth) takes in regardless.
Again I think the blame falls into multiple places, but I think violent games, movies and tv shows sure doesn’t help.
Let’s just be thankful the boy was remorseful.
I don’t really think they are blaming Halo 3 for the kid being violent. They are saying he did the act, because he didn’t get what he wanted.. Which just so happened to be playing Halo 3.
Um…There is a chick on there that is half naked you know. And yes it is violent dumb a**. Any game that has anyone shooting someone else is considered VIOLENT. His dad had every right to deny him playing it…for one he was under the age of 18 living in there house, so as a parent he had that right. Don’t get me wrong though I love the game, but some people, especially a minister might not approve of it. The kid was clearly psychotic. He really had some issues that’s for sure!
The kid was obviously depressed and not thinking clearly. I agree with Media Influence. You can’t blame one thing on this. What the father or any parent do when they punish their kid; whether it’s a game, tv, cell phone, car keys, whatever; they should not just take away things irrationally to a kid that is troubled. They should try to help their kid in a positive way. Maybe the father could have played with his son. His father could make a deal… I don’t something like if you get an A on your report card I will let you play for a month whenever. etc. etc.
This is a very sad and pathetic story though. Especially when I read, “Would you close your eyes, I have a surprise for you.”
Columbine!
That’s it. One word. As MediaInfluence stated there is no one reason for this tragedy and tragedy it is. But lets face it. As more and more graphically violent games, movies, books etc come out, the more it desensitizes the population. Especially the youth. The people involved in school shootings like columbine have quite often said, or I should say left diaries or paperwork where they have stated how much they hate the world and want to be just like these heroes in the shooter games. I am not saying that just because you play these games or watch these movies it automatically means that you’re going to go out and commit violence. I am saying that there are certain personality types, troubled teens or adults for that matter, people with bipolar disorders or schizophrenia that has gone undiagnosed, depressed teens etc., who get desensitized to the violence and then are surprised that when they shoot someone they actually hurt them. I am not condoning nor defending Halo or any other role playing shooter as I don’t play them myself. Personally I think there’s more than enough violence in the world without playing a game that’s just more violent. However, you put being desensitized to violence, being bullied, perhaps having overly strict parents, (though I’m not saying that is the case here as I’m with the dad on saying no), and any other number of variables and unfortunately you get a young person who doesn’t know where to turn for help and sees the only way out is through violence.
If you’re a Halo player enjoy!!!! As long as you always remember that it’s a game and not real life. As long as if you have troubles you go to someone for help and not use it as an excuse to vent your frustrations. I think most players are intelligent enough to know the difference. One thing that needs to be done by all youth – Halo player or not – is to keep the lines of communication open with your parents or a mature adult that you can trust.
Being a teenager these days is a hell of a lot tougher than the “bikini” years. Peer pressure is unbelievable. In my view it’s hard enough to be a teenager without all the added stuff on tv etc that makes them so blase about violence, sex and drugs. I urge every teenager to be true to themselves. And please, please if you don’t like something your parents are disciplining you for, talk to them. Don’t shout, just talk. You’d be surprised how tough it is for a parent these days too. Our parents didn’t have to worry about the same things that parents today do.
Enjoy yourselves, but use your own common sense. I truly believe that 99.9% of shooter players do both.
i totally agree with honest girl. You guys are all GUYS and you guys think everything is ok including voilence! of course its a violent game if it has shooting!! only a dumba** wouldnt know that!!! and the father had every right to take it away from him and he shouldnt risk losing his parents just for HALOW 3!!! i think that was very stupid of him to do!!! im not saying halow isnt fun but seriously that guy had issues!!!!:P
i see that the kid was mess up. people cant blame video games for other people to be acting out in violence when someone can not get there way. i blame the father for having a gun inn the house in the first place that guy should have let his son play it how can people say dont play violent video games but this a****** had a gun inn the house to me i see that to be strange.
yes there are a lot of different things to blame in a situation like this.. but the question is, would the kid have been less likely to have done what he did if he didn’t go through hours and hours of being desensitized to shooting people from an early age (even if it was just virtual). Even the military uses human like targets and video games to desensitize soldiers to killing people because killing a human being is hard even for the most trained individuals. Again there are many issues that come into play here, but the link between video games and violence is well documented as well.
also I don’t see why owning a gun is strange while one is against violence or violent games. gun is not violence. gun used for protecting a family or hunting is not violence. It is a medium in which violence can be acted out. Having said that, unless you live in a dangerous neighborhood, I don’t see any reason a family needs to have a gun in the house.
wow. Now that’s crazy. I have to say though, it depends on the people. I, myself, am a 16 years old, and a videogame adicted. Though, I love going out with my friends, I read books, I listen music – Classic music too, by the way. I can say I play for like 5 hours a day, sometimes even more. If I don’t have shool or anything. At weekends, if I don’t go out with friends, I usually stay at home playing, so you can say it’s like 10 – 15 hours at minimal. I play since I was a child – I had problem with bullies at school, and all I could do myself was play at home, I felt safe while doing so. I live in Brazil. I never did an english class or anything, all the english I know I’ve learned while playing games. Everyday, before playing, I help my fathers cleaning the house and all that. I also have a little sister, and I take care of her everyday, too, since my parents have to work, and currently, she’s 9 years old, so I’m teaching her how to play. I, myself, like to play the Zelda franchise, the Metroid Franchise, the Tales of franchise, Mario, the Castlevania series, Final Fantasy and the list goes on and on. Videogames are a joy to play, they are fun, creative, and all that. That guy did what he did because he had serious mental problems.
parred his mum and dad ther yes lad
Ok im 12 and i play games lick that yes i mite be vilent at sometime but not because of halo. ya its sad but we all need to see the big picture he had a problem with his parents and came down to killing one of them. ya we all mite have thots lick that but ya he had a big problem.
how does halo 3 have sexin it i mean really you see cortanas butt but shes a computer progaram
This was a great article, that will help me greatly with my project assignment. Thank you for writing a well-balanced and non-biased argument! Keep up the great work!
I think there should be a law that permits individuals to play video games for a certain amount of time. My advice on the time limit shoulb be for about 30-38 minutes per week. People who play video games develop psychological problems, how come the world is still avoiding this subject. The human race can wipe itself out due to its own ignorance, and that problem will be enivitable if we dont start doing something about the decrease of general intelligence thats been occuring for about two decades. The number of intellectuals are decreasing while the number of mental retardation is rapidly increasing. We need to act fast, and we should start with video games !
if you think this is bad, you should see the latest post : http://www.cleancutmedia.com/video-games/girl-starves-to-death-as-parents-raise-virtual-child
Since this is severe in s. korea, there are some initiatives there to try to curb online playing time…
Blaming the game is ridiculous, obviously the media is curving away from the truth that the son hated his parents, the only dumb part is that the child didnt plan ahead smart enough, if he did, he would have gotten away with it. Personally, I would have killed the father first, but thats just me.
dude ist halo a game u only get one mother nd father but u could halo dude didnt u know that once u pulled that trigger their won’t be any more halo 3 or any thing else
I’ve noticed that most of these people here are gamers, so I’ll ask the question. How many of you are sick and tired of our media constantly being criticized for causing insanity? There are literally thousands of gamers, and when one person snaps, they make us out to be bloodthirsty murderers. There is always some kind of mental instability there before anyone who does do something like this. Sane people can’t snap because of video games alone
*** mate waht wasx going through that kids head when he did this insane act
Seriously, millions of people play “violent” Halo 3. The percentage of violent acts where video games are blamed is statistically negligible. Other much higher correlations exist. (Take soft drinks, for instance. Nearly 100 percent of all criminals have routinely had huge intakes of sugar and caffine. This is not a good sign.)
All joking aside, let’s use logic. If A leads to B, then when more people partake of A, then we would be seeing more B. Over the last 20 years, as video games have become more popular, violent crime statistics have been in decline. It’s seriously all here on FBI.gov (http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2008/data/table_01.html). See for yourself. Crime increased heavily until 1993. It seems to me that’s about when video games really started to get good.
Perhaps kids staying home rather than hanging on the corner with friends is a good thing and leads to less violent criminal activity. Perhaps you media bandwagoners should write about the ACTUAL STATISTICS for once.
i can understand why he shot his mom.
HE’S 16 AND NOT ALLOWED TO PLAY HALO 3? what type of Bullsh** is that mom and dad?
some part of me doesn’t blame him for what he did.his parents were probably way to strict. how would you feel if your friends played halo 3 and you can’t join in the fun b/c mommy dearest is controlling your life.
killing isn’t the answer though. that was a bit too extreme. but maybe a good beating would suffice in his case (something i wouldn’t do either though)
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