[OT] Another murder blamed on RPGing?

[Ascending Crane]

<sigh>

Has anyone else heard of this? Old news, perhaps?

Just when we think we're getting some measure of respect, some kook blames their murder spree on RPGing.

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20021016_428.html

 

[Florin]

Actually, they blamed it on abuse. The closest the article comes to RPG's is saying that she had met her friends at a renfest.

 

[Ascending Crane]

With a line like this...

But prosecutors argued that Hulbert wasn't the only person Schwartz asked. Patrick House, a former boyfriend, testified that he and Schwartz were the primary characters in an elaborate role-playing game in which he was an assassin hired to kill Clara's father.

... you know it's going to come up at trial.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

And justifiably so, if it's true. Obviously, the idea of killing her father had to preceed the role playing game in this case, but it seems silly to assert that the role-playing had nothing to do with reality without more information.

What this really points out is that, like many other worthwhile things role-playing games can be perverted and abused. And that's something that we should always have in the back of our minds as RPG enthusiasts.

With a line like this...

But prosecutors argued that Hulbert wasn't the only person Schwartz asked. Patrick House, a former boyfriend, testified that he and Schwartz were the primary characters in an elaborate role-playing game in which he was an assassin hired to kill Clara's father.

... you know it's going to come up at trial.