GTA "Nut Case" Killer Gets 75 to Life

GTA "Nut Case" Killer Gets 75 to Life

March 26, 2007
The leader of a street gang which played Grand Theft Auto III by day and acted the game out in real life by night has been sentenced to 75 years to life in state prison.

As reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, 27-year-old Gregory Colbert was convicted of killing a friend, Glen Phaso. As described by the Chronicle:
The Nut Cases were an Oakland street gang who told police that they spent their time getting high and playing the video game "Grand Theft Auto," then went and perpetrated the violent acts shown in the game, including robbery and murders. They called themselves the Nut Cases, and several members sported tattoos showing the Planters logo Mr. Peanut and the words "Nut Case."

Six other Nut Case members have been charged with five murders which took place during 2002-2003. Colbert is suspected in those cases but prosecutors did not have enough evidence to bring him to trial. 

GamePolitics has previously reported on the conviction of another Nut Case killer, Demarcus Ralls.
Posted in

Comments

Submitted by Broken Controllers » GTA Gang Founder Sentenced to 75 - March 27, 2007 at 12:27 pm -0500
[...] 1UP - The case of 27-year-old Gregory Colbert is a strange one. The man founded a gang in Oakland, but it wasn’t what most people would consider a “normal” gang. Colbert’s gang, the Nut Cases, was based completely around the Grand Theft Auto franchise — specifically, the founder and his friends would play GTA, get high, and then commit real-world crimes based on the actions they were doing in-game. Thankfully, the crime spree has caught up with Colbert. Game Politics has reported that Gergory Colbert has received a sentence of 75 years to life in prison. [...]
Submitted by Kincyr - March 26, 2007 at 10:27 pm -0500
since it is written that Take 2 and Rockstar do not endorse, condone or otherwise encourage such behavior, they are no more to blame than Kraft (who owns the Planters line) is.

'course if Jerk happens to choke on a peanut, he'll have 2 reasons to think Kraft and Take 2 are conspiring to take him down...
Submitted by Kikimaru - March 26, 2007 at 8:16 pm -0500
Well, at least they can't use the "he's a minor" charge here -- these guys were old enough to know better.
Of course, doesn't seem like they were *smart* enough...

Eh, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named will be all over this in 3-2-1...
Submitted by Austin Lewis - March 26, 2007 at 7:00 pm -0500
There's something about those planters Peanuts and Mr. Peanut that just make me want to kill.

I think its the hat and gloves. He thinks hes beeter than me!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
Submitted by hilaryduffgta - March 26, 2007 at 5:43 pm -0500
This is not something that should be laughed at! We all should fear the "nut case" gang remember they are "dangerous"

sorry thats all the energy i have for sarcasm
Submitted by LightWarrior - March 26, 2007 at 3:32 pm -0500
...I see...Planters Peanuts made them do it!

rofl....
Submitted by hilaryduffgta - March 26, 2007 at 12:42 pm -0500
"the nut cases" please tell me that wasnt their Gang name?

if so then they are beyond stupid and deserve 75 years "gta and drugs made us do it"

yea and twinkies and gta made me fat
Submitted by GTA Killer Discovers Respawn Glitch | - March 26, 2007 at 11:27 am -0500
[...] Alleged founder of Nut Cases gang sentenced for killing [San Francisco Chronicle, via Game Politics] [...]
Submitted by volcanman - March 26, 2007 at 10:57 am -0500
@ Shoehorn O'Plenty

I think that when they were caught they were using that as an excuse so that they could get less time. Doesn't seem like it'd work though.
Submitted by point09micron - March 26, 2007 at 10:50 am -0500
So, what. His punishment is that he has to play that shitty game 25 to Life three times in a row? I thought cruel and unusual punishment was unconstitutional.
Submitted by You NEWB » Blog Archive » GTA “Nut Case - March 26, 2007 at 9:13 am -0500
[...] Via: Game Politics Source: SF Chronicle [...]
Submitted by Terminator44 - March 26, 2007 at 5:36 am -0500
"The Nut Cases were an Oakland street gang who told police that they spent their time getting high and playing the video game “Grand Theft Auto,”

Hm, doing drugs might explain their irrational behavior. However, blaming drugs is so 80s. It's all GTA's fault now!
Submitted by Thefremen - March 26, 2007 at 5:31 am -0500
I think the SFC needs to take whatever classes Newscorp took so that next time they can do a better job at making a connection where there isn't one.
Submitted by Shoehorn O'Plenty - March 26, 2007 at 4:26 am -0500
At least they didn't try to claim that the game made them do it. The language in that report seems to suggest it a little though, ie. They played the game, then went out and committed the acts in the game. It's probably a lot more likely that they committed these crimes, then came home and played a game that depicts similar acts.
Submitted by GetWellGamers - March 26, 2007 at 4:20 am -0500
Sheesh.

At least they were honest and up front about it. Nut Cases indeed.
Submitted by Stephen M. Pittel, Ph.D. - April 1, 2007 at 11:22 pm -0500
I am a forensic psychologist who participated in the defense of Demarcus Ralls. I have read every document associated with the 'nut case' gang crimes & I have interviewed all of the key players. I am familiar with all of the crime details and the events leading up to each of the killings and robberies.

GTA was not a motive or an incentive or in any other way involved in the gang's activities! It was never presented as evidence in the trial or included in the opening or closing arguments of either the prosecution or the defense. The association between GTA and the 'nut case' gang is an invention of the media.
Submitted by Christian - April 8, 2007 at 3:28 am -0500
@Kikimaru

Shush! You will summon him, like a grey haired version of Candyman! O_O

If you say his name 3 times to a darkened mirror he pops out and sues you for slander!

GamePolitics ShoutBox

Posted 11/08/09 at 09:02am
DarkSaber: http://tinyurl.com/yez7jyo
Posted 11/08/09 at 09:01am
DarkSaber: Oh for gods sake, the Gearbox pres is gobbing off about Valve again
Posted 11/08/09 at 08:53am
JDKJ: But cheer up, Austin. If the unemployment rate continues to double-digit as predicted for the next few years, your half-dozen stands a better than likely chance of returning to power.
Posted 11/08/09 at 08:46am
JDKJ: @DS: If he had added the line about "or hiring illegals aliens under the table to work as nannies," it would have been a completely perfect descripition. And, yes, it's about the same difference between a six and a half-dozen.
Posted 11/08/09 at 08:31am
DarkSaber: My god, that description makes them sound almost Republican. Still what did you expect, Obama is only marginally more left than republicans.
Posted 11/08/09 at 01:07am
Austin_Lewis: Health insurance, brought to you by the same kind of bureacrats who couldn't, in timely fashion, investigate the comments of any of the men Obama appointed Czars. Or their past. Or their history of not paying taxes.
Posted 11/08/09 at 01:06am
Austin_Lewis: Yes, and what a piece of crap it was. Arresting and fining people just because they don't make a personal choice to buy healh insurance, creating over a hundred new bureacracies, and worse.
Posted 11/08/09 at 12:24am
ZippyDSMlee: JDKJ:the only trouble is a bunch of witless hacks wrote it....its going to be a train wreck....
Posted 11/07/09 at 11:33pm
JDKJ: BREAKING: In a photo-finish at the wire, House passes health care reform bill. Relatedly, in a fit of pique, Austin Lewis kicks innocent dog.
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:27pm
ZippyDSMlee: man I got alot of junk and dup files too >< god I need orginization...and no not the knee capping media mafia kind :P
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:26pm
ZippyDSMlee: replaced :P
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:23pm
ZippyDSMlee: beemoh:hey its like 60GB porn,400GB anime 100GB games and crap I have took from all my DVDs, I hate waiting on dvds to install stuff..... oh and 40GB of my porn was in the found.000 folder...mostly corrupted.... least I got names of wut needs to be repa
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:18pm
beemoh: @Zip: ...and you'd have to spend all that time re-downloading that porn?
Posted 11/07/09 at 03:34pm
ZippyDSMlee: ggrrrrr......vista lost one of my hard drives and I had a heart attack thinking I lost 1TB of data....
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:58am
JDKJ: Which could be explained by both (a) and (b).
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:56am
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: You forgot C) the fact that, for some reason, every time he did something that would suggest he shouldn't be in the military, let alone an officer, higher ups ignored it or let it slide.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:51am
JDKJ: Part of the problem is, I believe, that (a) the Army had a lot of time and money already invested in him and which they were unwilling to simply write-off and (b) an increasing need for the type of skills and services he provided.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:48am
JDKJ: And that even if he was begging not to get cut loose, he was apparently a real good candidate for being cut loose, anyway.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:11am
JDKJ: @chada: And while Kennedy once noted that there's usually more than enough blame for everyone to get a slice, the possibility that the Army was unwilling to cut loose someone who was asking to get cut loose could be a factor.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:07am
ZippyDSMlee: *noms on his feet*..nomnomnomnom*droooll* ...wuuutttttt uuu looking at?
Login or register to post shouts