Daniel Petrić | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1991-08-24)August 24, 1991 (age 34)[1] |
| Occupation | Student |
| Criminal status | Incarcerated |
| Parent(s) | Mark and Susan Petrić |
| Motive | Video game addiction; anger towards parents for confiscating video game |
| Convictions | Aggravated murder Attempted aggravated murder Tampering with evidence |
| Criminal penalty | 23 years to life in prison |
| Details | |
| Date | October 20, 2007 |
| Country | United States |
| Locations | Brighton Township,Lorain County, Ohio |
| Killed | Susan Petrić (his mother) |
| Injured | Mark Petrić (his father) |
| Weapons | 9mmTaurus PT92 |
Date apprehended | October 20, 2007 |
| Imprisoned at | Grafton Correctional Institution,Grafton, Ohio |
Daniel Petrić (Serbian Cyrillic:Данијел Петрић; born August 24, 1991) is an American convicted murderer fromWellington,Ohio. At age 16, he shot his parents after his father confiscated his video game. His mother died, but his father recovered.[2] He is incarcerated for life, with a chance for parole. Studies ofvideo game addiction or the effects ofviolent video games on society, as well asgun control, often mention Petrić.
Petrić was born on August 24, 1991, to Mark Petrić, aPentecostal minister, and Susan Petrić. He lived inBrighton Township with his parents and attended high school in nearbyWellington.[3] According to his father, Petrić had a loving relationship with both of his parents.[4] Those who knew Petrić described him as cheerful, outgoing, and deeply engaged withbiblical studies. At school, Petrić maintained average grades and showed no signs of psychological issues that could predispose him to violence.[4]
Following askiing injury, Petrić contracted astaphylococcus infection and was housebound for a year. During this time, he was introduced to theHalo video game series. Petrić quickly became addicted to the games, often playing for "seven or eight hours a day" at his friend Jonathan Johnson's house.[5] When Petrić's father insisted that he leave home if he could not curtail his gaming, Petrić moved in with the friend for a weekend, playingHalo for as much as eighteen hours a day with minimal breaks. Petrić eventually bought his own copy of the newly releasedHalo 3 without his father's knowledge. Upon catching his son with the game, Mark confiscated it and placed it in a safe that also contained a nine-millimeter (9mm)Taurus PT92 handgun.[5]
On October 20, 2007 – about a week after the game was confiscated – Petrić found the key to the safe, from which he then removed the game and the gun. Around 7 PM,[6] he came up behind his parents while they were sitting on a couch and said, "Would you close your eyes, I have a surprise for you." He then shot them.[5] Susan Petrić died from wounds in the head, arms, and chest. Petrić then placed the gun in his father's hand.[7]
A few minutes later, his sister Heidi and her husband arrived at the house, planning to watch a baseball game on television.[6] Petrić warned them not to enter, claiming that their parents were fighting, but the couple forced their way in after hearing moans from inside. Petrić fled the scene in the family van, but he was pursued and captured by police.[3]
Petrić's trial was held from December 15 to 17, 2008[5] at the Lorain County Court of Common Pleas inElyria, Ohio;[8] Petric elected abench trial.[5]
At the trial, Petrić was seen crying. His father was supportive and said Petric deeply regretted what he had done.[8]
The prosecutor, Anthony Cillo, portrayed Petrić as a heartless killer. He showed no remorse for his actions, so he claimed, and tried to set up the shooting as a suicide. He had planned his crime carefully, knowing that Heidi Archer and her husband planned to enter the house at 9 PM, but his plot was foiled when they arrived two hours early. In a psychological report ordered by the defense, Petrić had informed the psychologist that he had planned the murder of his parents for a week.[6]
James Kersey represented Petrić as the defense attorney. Neither Kersey nor Petrić attempted to dispute the facts of the crime;[5] instead, Kersey argued for theinsanity defense, video game addiction being the underlying psychiatric condition.[9] Because of the enormous amount of stress put on him due to his severe infection and resultant spinal injury, Petrić was much more susceptible to being influenced by the game, not to mention his youth. Petrić, he claimed, was not in the right state of mind to understand the finality of shooting his parents. In other words, he had been playing violent video games so long that he did not realize thatreal-life death is permanent. Thelevels of video games can be replayed over and over again; killed and injured characters, including the player himself, return to their original states at every reset. Petrić, he continued, must have expected that his mother would eventually return to a healthy and normal state, having been immersed in virtual violence so long.[5]
Kersey disputed the prosecution's assertions about Petrić's personality, using the testimony of Petrić's family, friends, and acquaintances to contend that he was a typical teenager. The young Petrić's addiction was strong enough for him take along a video game of all things while fleeing. To Kersey, Petrić was not a plotting murderer, but someone who spontaneously killed without planning. The defense did not present psychologists for anexpert opinion on the mental effects of violent video games.[6]
Petrić was convicted foraggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, and tampering with evidence.[1] Due to his age, Petrić could not be sentenced to death. The judge sentenced him to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 23 years, which was the minimum sentence. The maximum sentence Petrić faced was life in prison without parole, recommended by the prosecuting attorney.[7]
The case has been highlighted in papers and articles regardingvideo game addiction andvideo game violence.Halo 3 publisherMicrosoft commented briefly to the media, "We are aware of the situation and it is a tragic case."[10] Petrić is currently serving his sentence atGrafton Correctional Institution and will be eligible for parole in 2030.[1]