The lawyer for a man being tried for murder is trying to convince an Alabama jury that the defendant believed he was acting out a video game when he murdered an 80-year-old man on Halloween, 2005.
As reported by the Decatur Daily, Andrew Reid Lackey, 24, does not dispute that he stabbed, shot and gouged out the eye of his victim, Charlie Newman. However, Lackey's attorney, Randy Gladden, is pointing the finger at video games. From the newspaper report:
Actions that led to a deadly confrontation between a defendant and an 80-year-old widower resembled a video game to the accused...
[Attorney] Gladden described Lackey (seen at left) as a computer geek who had immersed himself in video games and lived in "a different world than you and I."
Tapes of a 911 call made by the victim during the fatal confrontation, however, indicate that old-school greed may have been the motive. Lackey is heard to demand of the victim, "Where's the vault?" seven different times. Charlie Newman's grandson had previously told Lackey that the victim kept a large sum of money in a vault under the stairs. However, no such vault existed.
No video games were specified in the news report. However, items recovered by the police from Lackey's car (ski mask, a knife, a police scanner, night vision goggles, stun gun) suggest that the defendant put a lot of real-world thought into planning the crime.
Lackey's trial resumes today.
Comments
Totally right. I would expect Jackie boy to chime in any minute as an expert, to get this poor soul the not guilty verdict he so deserves. The sad part is, Jack seems to be so brainwashed by himself he would see letting a murderer go free as a victory, since it would have been a blow against his enemy. From all I can tell he is well beyond the ability to think rationally and to step back from his crusade and see the big picture.
Luckily, I think most of the population isn't stupid enough to fall for it.. these defenses rarely seem to work out.
I think we already all know of a lawyer who hasd proven that you don't get your license revoked for being stupid.
"Starter pistol
Knife*
Stun gun
Orange ski mask
Roll of tape
Flashlights
Night vision goggles
Police scanner
Mallet with a white towel taped around it
Sledgehammer
Hatchet
Five screwdrivers
Two tube socks stuffed with rope
Super Glue
Batteries
Utility belt that would hold extra gun clips "
Conclusion: He was influenced by MacGyver. End of discussion.
But nothing created God so . . . NOTHING IS KILLING PEOPLE.
And pieces of paper come with nothing on them so paper is killing people.
Yet trees and people make paper, so they're killing paper.
But if God created humans and trees and nothing created God.
My God I just a new paradox sort of like the who is a murderer the chicken or the egg? And if God created the chicken and gave it egg-laying powers. . .
Wait a minute humans were the victims that means no humans no murder
Humans are killing themselves!!! (Without Dr. Kevorkian)
But if God creates humans . . .
Wait a minute free will makes us kill humans, so if we had no free will.
Ah the fuck with it let's just imprison the guy.
None of us live in the same world as any of the rest of us. I live in a world of numbers and lines of code. That doesn't mean that I can hurt another person and claim that I didn't realize they were alive. It's quite simple, he heard this guy had money, he prepared himself, he broke in and hurt this man while asking where the money was, then he killed him.
In my opinion, anyone that would hurt osmeone else to take their stuff is already broken. He should be held to the same standards as everyone else. He knew what he was doing, he knew it was wrong, and it was clearly premeditated and for the purpose of gain.
Fry 'im.
Not when passing said football or helping out injured comrades involves pressing a sequence of buttons, no. Just as playing Monster Hunter wouldn't help me fight off giant monsters and playing Pokemon won't make me in to some kind of wonderous animal breeder. And as for our current murderer being 24 excludes him from the world of Santa Clause and the Boogyman.
RELIGION MADE DO IT!!
MUSIC MADE ME DO IT!!!
FILMS MADE ME DO IT!!!
These claims have failed 9 times out of ten, Tv too failed and now the the blame game levels up to games...can we say fail too?
No clue how i mistyped that
And for what? so they can get videogames banned? Remove the greatest artistic movement of our time? what does that gain?
These people should be hung drawn and quartered, and it is coming to the point where I will gladly get in on the action.
After all, no one wants the church to take the blame for murder.
But then, that's Alabama for ya.
Gee, wonder where they got the idea for the defense? :/
Nightwng2000
NW2K Software
I'm just surprised lawyers haven't tried to use this more often.
I like the idea, but doesn't being hung eliminate the need to draw and quarter someone? *innocent whistle*
"Oh no... it's the Mel Gibson defense"
Okay psycho hat off now. The guy's a typical modern cowardly knob trying to absolve himself of responsibility by citing whatever is remotely controversial. One day I'd like to see them say "rage & greed made me do it" as a defence, if nothing else the unprecedented burst of honesty might get a not guilty ruling simply from the shock...
@AgnostoTheo
You weren't hanged until you were dead, you were hanged until NEARLY dead. From wikipedia:
Until 1814, the full punishment for the crime of treason was to be hanged, drawn and quartered in that the condemned prisoner would be:
Dragged on a hurdle (a wooden frame) to the place of execution. (This is one possible meaning of drawn.)
Hanged by the neck for a short time or until almost dead. (hanged).
Disembowelled and emasculated and the genitalia and entrails burned before the condemned's eyes (This is another meaning of drawn — see the reference to the Oxford English Dictionary below.)[2]
Beheaded and the body divided into four parts (quartered).
Typically, the resulting five parts (i.e. the four quarters of the body and the head) were gibbeted (put on public display) in different parts of the city, town, or, in famous cases, country, to deter would-be traitors who had not seen the execution. After 1814 the convict would be hanged until dead and the mutilation would be performed after death. Gibbeting was abolished in England in 1843. Drawing and quartering was abolished in 1870.
See now that's a real man's deterrent! Bugger this girly 10 years in prison bollocks, bring it back at least for rapists, child molesters & paris hilton!
He shoulda gone with the twinkie defense. That actually worked.
No, wait! The internet can be accessed via computer. COMPUTERS ARE KILLING PEOPLE!
As has been mentioned, metal and D&D have previously been blamed for crimes, yet now people laugh about those cases and the idiots that pursued them. I just wish we could reach that stage with video games.
The games have been ditched!!!
We'll hear it when someone attaches himself to this.
But people access the computers that access the internet that access the games which means....
MY GOD!
PEOPLE ARE KILLING PEOPLE!!!!!
Hopefully someone intelligent is handling the case and can show how games had little to do with this guy's actions.
If the proscecutor doesn't have one, may I suggest "STFU N00B!"...
Love the 'God made me do it' defence people are stating on here!
Personally, based upon the items stated, I have come to the conclusion that he is guilty of Murder in the First Degree in that he planned and knew EXACTLY what he was doing.
----
Papa Midnight
Splinter Cell?
Splinter Cell?
In that case, they tried to blame Magnum Force (could be one of the other movies in the Dirty Harry series) for the murders.
Or it could also be another attorney riding the moral media crusade wagon to blame games for his own purposes. I dunno.
Seriously, can we blame the government for the murder, for making money so valuable? I mean, they make money. They obviously are causing others to behave irrationally because of the stuff. Ban money!
Ok... I'm going to stop being silly now.
Sorry video games made me do it.