Xbox murder trial to begin
4/11/2006 11:15:34 AM, by Eric Bangeman
The trial of three defendants accused of killing six people over an Xbox is set to begin next week. Troy Victorino, 29, Robert Cannon and Michael Salas, both 20, and Jerone Hunter, 19, are accused of beating six acquaintances to death with aluminum baseball bats during Victorino's attempt to reclaim an Xbox that he left behind after being kicked out of a house he had been squatting in. One of the victims apparently took the Xbox and some of Victorino's other belongings with her when she moved out. Cannon has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the attacks, and will be testifying against the other three in exchange for a life sentence. The other three defendants face the death penalty...
With the topic of videogame violence and its possible real-world ramifications a hot topic of conversation these days, the trial is already drawing a lot of media attention since an Xbox was involved. It could just as easily be a laptop, a TV set, or a stereo that occasioned the killings. This is not videogame-related violence. This is "someone has some of my stuff and I'm going to kill them in the process of getting it back" violence.
