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Acquittal in Drunken Homicide via GTA

Posted by Zonk on from the mario-made-me-do-it dept.

The Wisconsin State Journal has the news of an acquittal in a drunken homicide charge against a Madison-area 30 year old. The defendant admitted to being intoxicated before the crash that killed his passenger. The jury found him innocent after he presented his defense: the passenger caused the crash by forcing him to attempt a manuever they'd done in Grand Theft Auto. "In an emotional testimony on Thursday, DeMeo said that Alexander had put his hand on DeMeo's knee and made him push the accelerator down hard, then grabbed the emergency brake and sent the car into a skid. DeMeo said that Alexander was trying to perform a maneuver that both had done in a video game, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, that they played regularly."

12 of 80 comments (clear)

  1. Similar thing happened to me. by -kertrats- · · Score: 5, Funny

    I once killed an endangered squid-left it in a freezer overnight. I got out of a fine by saying it reminded me too much of a metroid.

    --
    The Braying and Neighing of Barnyard Animals Follows.
    1. Re:Similar thing happened to me. by Jippy+T+Flounder · · Score: 3, Funny

      i'm not sure which bothers me more...
      that you were in possession of an endangered squid, reason unknown, or that you placed it in a freezer overnight, also reason unknown.

      i'm going to turn off my pc now, and find myself a good book. i think i've just seen everything on the internet.

      --
      ---- I was woken up this morning by a face full of fur. Damn cat thought my head made a good pillow.
  2. Further questioning... by jZnat · · Score: 4, Funny

    When the defendent was further questioned about why he would even attempt a stunt from a videogame, he responded, "I was so sure that sv_cheats was enabled."

    --
    'Yes, firefox is indeed greater than women. Can women block pops up for you? No. Can Firefox show you naked women? Yes.'
  3. Re:They bought it? by Mortlath · · Score: 5, Interesting
    I thought the following was really interesting:
    Humphrey said Alexander couldn't have interfered with DeMeo's driving because he was found moments after the crash still wearing a seat belt, his hands jammed into his pockets. He had suffered fatal head and heart injuries, Humphrey said, making it impossible for him to put his hands into his pockets after the crash.

    Meeker disagreed, saying in his closing argument that the car had been split open by the crash and Alexander could have put his hands in his pockets to keep warm.

    The article also mentions that the skid-marks didn't seem to indicate the use of the hand-brake either.

    Otherwise, I wonder that as games become more physically realistic, will more accidents result as more people try to pull crazy stunts they've done in video games?

  4. It's true. by Koiu+Lpoi · · Score: 4, Funny

    Whenever I get drunk, I get the urge to pick up a hooker, use her services' and the proceed to run her over and take my cash back.

    I also occasionally hide in the shadows and blackjack people who walk by. I think I may have a problem.

  5. Ive lost a little more faith by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I really hate to be cruel , but this is what natural selection is all about..

  6. WTF? by jericho4.0 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The prosecution said, and I assume no evidence was introduced to show otherwise, that there was no evidence that the EB had been pulled. Most strange, the passenger was found "moments later" with fatal head and heart injuries, with his hands in his pockets. The defence argues that he put them in his pockets to keep warm. Not likely. With a blood alcohol level of .16, if your passenger dies, your guilty of something.

    --
    "A language that doesn't affect the way you think about programming, is not worth knowing" - Alan Perlis
  7. better than southpark :) by arcanumas · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I think this puts the Chewbacca defense to shame.
    Well done, reality!

    --
    Slashdot Sig. version 0.1alpha. Use at your own risk.
  8. Re:They bought it? by NanoGator · · Score: 5, Interesting

    "Otherwise, I wonder that as games become more physically realistic, will more accidents result as more people try to pull crazy stunts they've done in video games?"

    There's a flip-side to think about. In GTA, dumb-ass pedestrians sometimes walk right out in front of you. Hit them, and the cops chase you. After some time with that game, I became more aware of pedestrians at crosswalks. I now watch what they're doing more intently before going around a corner, for example.

    No, it's not like I was running around mowing down peds before. I just mean that I drive more cautiously.

    --
    "Derp de derp."
  9. One small detail by fm6 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Before everybody sneers at contorted lawyers logic, note that "GTA confusion" was not the defense of the guy on trial. His defense was that his passenger interfered with his driving. Supposedly he did so while drunkenly imitating a GTA move, but his reasons for doing what he did was not relevent, since his guilt or innocence was not at issue.

  10. Re:Good by antifoidulus · · Score: 3, Funny

    What if he decided to emulate Rampage instead? Going around punching buildings and eating whatever he finds(be it people, hot dogs, or electric signs)

    --
    Monstar L
  11. He should've alt-tabbed outta there by UltimaL337Star · · Score: 3, Funny

    must've forgot to turn on the +7 Trainer.