GTA player guilty of murder
p2pnet.net News:- Defense lawyers in a murder case partly blamed the killings on the hours the 20-year-old accused had spent playing Grand Theft Auto video games.
The man, Devon Moore, was convicted of the capital murder of three police officers.
“While the judge barred jurors from hearing testimony linking the 2003 shootings to the game,” says Wired News, defense lawyer Jim Standridge reminded them that Moore, from Alabama, had told police, “Life is a video game; everybody has to die sometime.”
Pleading “not guilty and not guilty by reason of mental defect,” he said he’d been abused as a child.
“Officers had taken Moore to police headquarters for booking on a stolen-auto charge,” says Wired. “Authorities said Moore, who was 18 at the time, grabbed one of the officer’s guns and fatally shot all three victims in the head before fleeing in a patrol car.
“The victims’ families have filed a civil suit against the video-game manufacturer and two stores, claiming Moore killed the three after repeatedly playing Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. No trial date has been set in the civil lawsuit.”
“Imagine if the entertainment industry created a video game in which you could decapitate police officers, kill them with a sniper rifle, massacre them with a chainsaw, and set them on fire,” says a CBS story on the GTA case. “Think anyone would buy such a violent game?
“They would, and they have. The game Grand Theft Auto has sold more than 35 million copies, with worldwide sales approaching $2 billion.”
Grand Theft Auto was said to have been behind two murders in California and it’s been banned in New Zealand and Australia.
Haitian civil rights groups filed a lawsuit against Grand Theft Auto: Vice City because they said it instructed players to “kill the Haitians” and awarded points for each kill.
Its latest release, GTA San Andreas, was taken off the shelves after a hidden sex game was discovered.
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See:-
Wired News – Grand Theft Auto Player Convicted, August 10, 2005
CBS – Can A Video Game Lead To Murder?, July 17, 2005
August 11th, 2005 at 6:44 pm
What right did this judge have in denying this man his right to present evidence on his behalf. I’m not sticking up for this creep. If he killed these cops, then yes, he should fry. However in the usa, people are supposed to have a Constitutional right to be able to present their case in court and confront witnesses against them. This judge should be brought to trial on charges of evidence tampering.
August 11th, 2005 at 8:29 pm
They are suing the game company but not the weapon manufacturer… If it wasn’t GTA that gave him the violent tendancies, it would have been something else in society. We thrive off of violence and always have. The earliest example that comes to mind is the collesium. If they want to complain about violence in mainstream society, they should start with the MPAA, the RIAA, WWF, UFC, and god knows how many other acronyms which sell this crap to us every day.
August 11th, 2005 at 9:27 pm
This would be funny if the crime wasn’t so tragic and the defense so stupid.
We, as a society, are being taught that we don’t have to take responsibility for our actions. obviously this man had problems beforehand. anything could’ve set it off. if he hadn’t played GTA San Andreas he could’ve watch Silence of the Lambs and started eating people. If we held Hollywood Movies and Music Videos to the same standards as the video games the adult X rated section of Video stores would be packed with a few disney and pixar racks open to the general public. MTV would be off the air and Most of our pop stars (who can’t sing either) would be confined to cutting albums instead of lip syncing concerts. while dancing provocitivly in skimpy outfits.
The downloadable patch (which is not easy to get anymore) that allows a couple of fully clothed animated characters to make remarks and simulate sex is a joke. Have these people who complain about it watched Movies in the past 30 years. Watching superman and batman both get laid on screen is minor to the erotic sequence in the Matrix 2. the list of movies can go on and on and on. All of which are accessable to our poor, precious, innocent children.
These parents need to get a grip and put it all into perspective. perhaps by taking a trip to their childrens local Jr. high and High Schools and just listen in the halls to the kind of things these precious innocent children talk about and say to each other. that would be a better place to start then trying to restrict entertainment.
Rick
August 11th, 2005 at 9:45 pm
I made the comment that the judge had no right to hinder this man’s right to present evidence in this case. I also said that if he did it, he should fry. I Agree with the other poster that there needs to be personal responsibility for actions. With that said, I also believe in freedom of speech.
This right to freedom of speech, which is enshrined in our (u.s.a.) constitution, is one that I will fight to uphold. However, freedom of speech does not guarantee a monopoly on what is said. More to the point, freedom of speech does not guarantee a copyright. Copyrights and patents are for works BENEFICIAL TO SOCIETY. The constitution says nothing about protecting works that are considered HARMFUL to society. So the question should be, “Why are works that are harmful to society getting government protection via copyrights and patents?”
The solution to stopping the production of all this crap is to not give copyrights and patents to harmful material. This is the easiest way of taking the profit out of smut while still protecting the free speech rights of those who produce the smut. This is something that the like of the Christian Coalition should consider.
Cyberscan
August 11th, 2005 at 9:49 pm
that is a good point cyberscan however not giving copyrights and patents to harmful material and smut would just about kill the entertainment industry. On second thought, lets do it….
Rick
August 12th, 2005 at 1:15 am
I’d like to ask, who makes the decision ” This is harmful material no patent fo you. ” You know in the past any literary work outside of the Bible were considered harmful. Should all books have their patents revoked as well? ” No history books for you Billy, I’m conserving your innocence.”
August 12th, 2005 at 1:16 am
Anonymous coward. Very cute. My name is Jelani Lynn Warren!
August 12th, 2005 at 2:43 am
Now that the USA is fascist, the only rights they’ll have is the rights given/allowed by the states. The Constitution was nullified by the “Patriot” Act. How the USA’s people were conned into that Orwellian piece of crap by 9-11 was mystifying. If you scare enough stupid people, it’s amazing what they’ll accept to guard their Matrix version of “freedom.” There’s a sucker born everyday.
August 12th, 2005 at 2:49 am
The people that run a country basically set the tone. Now that the USA’s government has basically taken no responsibility for it’s actions & is trying to blame immigrants (uh, who let them in?), budget deficits (who spent all the money? The “people”?), etc. etc., it’s not surprising that an attitude such as the defendent’s pops up daily. A lawless government leads to a lawless people. Is this guy worse than officials that bomb countries that they know (Downing Street Memos) are basically defenseless? He’s more likely the same on a lesser scale – not to defend his actions as the majority of police officers have the world’s most dangerous job & are to be commended.
August 12th, 2005 at 2:54 am
But then that would be restricting freedom of speech! The problem is that people willingly buy this crap. People need to develop their moral code & stick to it. You can’t regulate this & making laws “Christian” or whatever violates the separation of Church & State. Making the USA “Christian” won’t stop it, it’ll just be the flip side of other repressive “religious” regimes.
August 12th, 2005 at 2:55 am
Good one!
August 12th, 2005 at 8:36 pm
And how exactly has this man learned how to use a gun?
Video games don’t show that.
They don’t show how to steal real cars either.
Of COURSE criminals are going to try and shift the blame for their actions, but it doesn’t mean it’s anything other than a lie.
I’m disappointed that hate and fear for GTA games detract people from the fact that games don’t kill people.
Everyone is responsible for their own actions.
Does anyone really think that games take away our choices and make our decisions for us?
August 13th, 2005 at 5:07 am
I completely agree with you.
August 13th, 2005 at 5:24 am
First let me apologize. I thought that anyone who didn’t take the time to log in was unfairly labled a coward. It seems the moderators fix that after a day or two, sorry. Anyway, I love GTA , and no I’m not some depraived ner-do-well. I am a well bred, intelligent and law abiding contributor to society ( I do some youth work). But the game has a compelling storyline and quite frankly is a release from the hum drum day to day. I have no interest in doing any of the things I do in the game in real life and neither do any of my GTA playing friends. One those friends just happened to be a youth minister ( not that it really matters, I’m just making a point). So I just wanted you guys to know that different people play this game, not just delinquents.
August 13th, 2005 at 9:20 am
I agree also. When criminals are faced with having to deal with what they thought they never would have to do, pay for their crimes, then all of a sudden any excuse that will get them off the hook will work. The game didn’t buy him a gun to use on the streets, There is no replay or restart in real life and this yoyo has been in the world long enough to know the difference.
This guy is scared out of his wits cause he thought he would get away with crimes and didn’t. That is the mentality of a criminal. What criminal would do most of the crimes with the certainty of being caught? Now he has to face the music and it isn’t so pretty. He could get life in prison or even the chair. It was alright for the victims, but he’s different, he’ smarter than the cops. (only he ain’t and it is time to pay the piper). He did the crime now he’s gonna face the time if he’s lucky.
No sympathy here for him and no points towards belief that the game or the devil made him do it. He did it, no one else.
August 14th, 2005 at 4:50 pm
what sickens me is that the victims’ relatives are trying to make money out of these tragedies. why not sue the killer but the companies insterad? of course he has no money but the big corporations are loaded. therefore they sue the companies. it’s such an american disease: sue everybody for everything.
there is no excuse for killing some innocent person ever. no matter how screwed your childhood was, no matter how much you had to endure. it will not exonerate you. should your father be tried for the murder commmitted by yoursel? that’s about as inane as suing a video games company. but hey, they might get away with it and make millions. hypocrites.
September 5th, 2005 at 10:11 pm
Quitting blaming games.
May 31st, 2006 at 2:39 pm
am not an anonymous coward. said my name last tine dickhead
May 31st, 2006 at 2:40 pm
fuck ye all. up ireland
October 17th, 2009 at 7:32 am
MY FAMILY GREW UP NEAR DEVONS FAMILY.HIS DAD IS A PSHCHO/CHILD BEATER AND ABUSER. KENNY HAS THE MENTALITY OF AN EVIL SPAWN OF THE DEVIL HIMSELF. DEVON NEVER HAD A CHANCE GROWING UP IN THAT HOUSEHOLD!!! HE WAS BEAT DAILY FOR PETTY CRAP AND MADE TO WORK LIKE A SLAVE WHILEHIS DAD RAN AROUND CHASED WOMEN AND WALKED AROUND THE TOWN OF FAYETTE LIKE HE WAS ACTUALLY A HUMAN BEING. DEVON AND HIS BROTHERS WERE ALL ABUSED BY THEIR SO CALLED DAD!!!BUT DEVON CAUGHT THE BRUNT OF THE HELL! THE GAME MAY HAVE HAD SOME BARRING ON THE SITUATION AT THE JAIL THAT NIGHT, ALONG WITH A WHOLE LOT OF FEAR AND SOME VERY DEGRADING REMARKS BY A SMART-ASS COP “ARNOLD”. ALL THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS WERE THERE THAT CAUSED THIS TRAGEDY….DEVON IS A KILLER, NO DOUBT, BUT HE HAS LIVED A LIFE NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT AND UNDERSTAND….MY FAMILY WATCHED FROM A DISTANCE AND WE KNOW….