The trial against 17 year-old Daniel Petric started today in Ohio, US. The teenager is charged with the murder of his mother, and the attempted murder of his own father.

The incident happened when Daniel Petric was 16 years old. The reason? He wasn’t allowed to play Halo 3, which is rated for ages 17 and up in the US.

Purchased game behind parent’s backs
Petric’s parents refused to buy the game for him, but he purchased it behind his parent’s backs in september 2007. His father caught him playing the game and locked it up in a strongbox, where he also kept a 9mm pistol.

A month later, October 20th 2007, Petric used his father’s key and removed both game and pistol.

“Close your eyes”
Father Mark Petric (45) testified in court that his son approached him from behind, asking his parents to close their eyes, as Daniel had a surprise for them.

After the shooting Petric fled the scene with the game in hand, but was apprehended by the police a short time after.

Confined to house
Petric’s lawyer, James Kersey, explains that the boy was under a lot of pressure at the time of the incident. A snowboarding accident caused a serious injury to Petric’s back, something that could have caused eventual paralisys.

“Daniel was confined to his house for a year without anything else to do but watch TV and play video games,” said his lawyer.

I don’t really know what to say about this, except the fact that I’m glad Jacky-Boy is disbarred. He’d have a field day with this one.