Teenager killed widow with axe in drink-fuelled rage after losing a computer game to his brother

"A schizophrenic teenager killed a grandmother with an axe when he went on a drunken rampage after losing at computer games.

In the hours before the rampage, Callaghan lost three consecutive games of Fifa 2008, playing at home against his younger brother and a friend."

[Software_Lover]

This is getting ridiculous.

[Winter47th]

Where is the reason with these people. Why did he kill his grandmother with an axe for losing a match in a video game, seriously. F'ing animals would have more sense than this meat.

[Darkeyes]

"In a scene of unimaginable horror, Callaghan, who did not know his victim, struck her six times on the head with the axe, chopped off a finger and repeatedly stabbed her in the back, stomach and leg."

OH MY GOD... Killing is one thing, but this is butchering!!!!!

"He also played the computer game Grand Theft Auto".. AND DON'T START THIS CRAP AGAIN... The guy was a maniac and probably on drugs. Blaming games is the lamest excuse...

Such guys should be tied up and every part of their body should be cut piece by piece till they bleed to death... I know it's sick, but what was the poor lady's fault??? Hope her soul rests in peace...

[UnSelf]

one time i lost to my bro in VF2 and threw the controller at him. He punched me in the face pretty hard but i see why now........

I threw that controller that came wit Nights at him

[thorstein]

Don't you guys read the article?

like the whole part about him being schizo, his shrinks not listening to him when he said the "voices" are telling him to kill, that he is violent after he drinks, he drinks to cope with the voices, and that he binge drank after losing at FIFA. Then went outside with an axe and knife, then started attacking others and killed this (not his) grandma. The article goes on to make a lame connection with GTAIV and that the kid MIGHT have played it.

[darx]

I wish we could still hang turds like this from the gallows.

[himdeel]

...it's too decent from some folks :( and this kid deserves to not be around this planet anymore :(

So very sad

[SupaPlaya]

"I threw that controller that came wit Nights at him "

You should know better than that lol...

[Darkstorn]

@1.5-
We should not act like a 3rd world country when it comes to crime and punishment.
On topic, it's a damn shame that he killed the woman. Remember, video games do NOT make people violent, but violent people are attracted to violent video games (was he playing GTA or FIFA? There seems to be dispute...).

[f789790]

Thank god he was only playing Fifa. What are you going to blame now media?

[NoBias]

What in the hell???

[reintype]

This is getting ridiculous, a man shooting his son bec. of videogames and now this. If you've got anger management issues because of a game, don't take it out on people. Seek help or counselling. Better yet don't play videogames at all.

Seriously, if you suck at playing videogames, a little practice and perseverance is all you need. Don't let the frustration eat you, anyway it's just a game, it's meant to be played for enjoyment, not something you should kill for.

[DARK WITNESS]

it's not just gamers...

I don't know if it's just me, but it really seems like there is less and less respect for life.

[thorstein]

This has nothing to do with gamers or gaming. Read the article.

[Darkstorn]

He drank because he was frustrated with playing poorly. Read the article.

[f789790]

Schizophrenic teenager! The most unstable type of teenager there is!

[thorstein]

The article does not say he drank because he lost, just that he lost. And how long was he drinking for after those games?????

[Feral Gamer]

Wow, you never see read/see details like those in US news reports. That mirror would never be shown in our newspapers. Such a tragedy. I wonder how many people make up stuff about hearing voices? I wonder if he is really ill or it's just a cop out

[Darkstorn]

The U.S. is a very violent place. Our murder rate is higher than that of countries like Kenya and Albania, and more people in California kill each other with knives than anyone in Canada murders another person with anything (the populations of the two are almost identical). This stuff gets reported on every night on the local news, and it's sickening.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

[playstation123]

God people need to relize its just a video game dont take it seriously

[SixZeroFour]

true...but there are also times when ppl should read articles beyond the headlines and put blame where its really due, which was being a schizo and a violent drunk

[George Sears]

That skinny little fart wont last long in prison. He already has the face of a b!tch.

[f789790]

HE'S CRAZY PEOPLE!!! That means institution, not jail.

[Guitardr85]

Diminished responsibility...Since when in the past 50 years in this country (I know this happened in the UK, I'm using it as a launching point) has anyone had to have ANY accountability for their actions. It's really sad that we think that some people can be reformed. I just hope that this monster never sees the light of day ever again. I hate to say it, but civilization would just plain be better off without some people marring it!!!

[Tunerboy8732]

That is just crazy.

[earthbounding]

I feel bad for both of them. The only one with fault here is his mother, who didn't take necessary measures when she was threatened with a knife.

[poopface1]

should have kept her legs closed if when wasnt ready to be a parent. Or had an abortion.

This kid should be killed in the same way he killed the innocent grandma. Start doing these things back to people, see how long before crimes like this are significantly reduced. Right now people just blame videogames and say they have mental problems and expect a free meal the rest of their life. I would never let that fly if I was a judge. In my eyes no matter whats wrong with you, it will never be an excuse for this kinda thing.

This little looser nerd need to be tortured and made an example of. Im all for public executions and torture for a select few criminals like this. There is no doubt in my mind that public execution/torture for the worst criminals would help to stop at least some of these types of crimes. No matter how crazy you think you are, you are gonna be less likely to stab someone 65 times if you realize taht you might be stabbed 65 times too for your punishment if your caught, as opposed to getting a good lawyer and claiming insanity.

[Darkstorn]

If you want public executions, then move to Somalia. I for one prefer to live in a civil society.

[Guitardr85]

Are you serious? You're blaming the mother?!?!?! This is exactly what's wrong with this world and why violent crime is more prevalent now than ever. You want to know who is to blame???? The little sh!t that murdered that poor woman. I say give him the proverbial chair...the world will be better off without him and all these people that are blaming mental disorders or "poor childhoods" will think twice before doing it...Remember the time before people could get off on insanity...like 50 years ago? And guess what...violent crime rates were a LOT lower!!!

[LostCypher11]

I've been a gamer for 15 years. and I have yet to get pissed off enough to the extent i would kill someone. My brother on the other hand tends to get rather inraged when he loses. But that rages goes about as far and throwing the controller accross the room.

[Serial_EDX]

Read the article, the game wasn't the real reason.

[OtherWhiteMeat]

Seems a madman and a downed bottle of vodka is a volatile mix.

[7zark7]

Oh yes lets all take the easy way out and blame Video games again!
Its those evil video game that made him do it...it wasn't his parents that failed him or the doctors or the NHS or him for being a fcuking sick violent bloodthirsty loser oh no it was those video games...I live in England and this place is becoming more violent everyday. I have been playing video games all my life and I never ever after playing GTA or any other video game do I ever feel the urge to go out and commit murder. These people are born like that.

[OtherWhiteMeat]

Sadly things like this happen in U.S. daily. I hate going to news sites because it makes you realize what a messed up world we live in.

[dkgshiz]

yep

[Dead_Cell]

Alchoholic
Shizophrenic
Violent person
He drown voices out with drink
Wouldn't listen to his psychologist

GTA did it.

[SixZeroFour]

lol...i know right, but

no no...there were all those reasons but of course it had nothing to do with the crime, it was losing to videosgames in general did it...gta was just another factor cause you can do the same thing in the game

[kraze07]

I wonder where all those people talking about how guns should be banned from the other article about the drunk dad shooting his son are. This kid didn't have a gun and look what stll happened. Don't blame the weapons, blame the people using them. That's crazy what happened to that lady. Someone should've took this kid's mental instability more seriously.

[Darkstorn]

He killed an elderly woman. This may sound perverse, but that's a relatively 'easy' target for a crime. With a gun, he could have shot and killed ten people within a couple minutes. This kid is sick, and if he had access to a gun, there would have been far more collateral damage.

[PotNoodle]

Best rage quit ever

(I mean that in the nicest way possible, no disrespect to anyone affected.)

[Sickr]

Daily fail. Enough said.

[RetroPietro]

what a douche, he must have RROD

[mint royale]

Maybe he was a Ferrari fan depressed at how bad their car is ;)

[skeletonss]

another sick ps3 troll who dosent know the difference between reality and fantasy..

and if you read its a PC GAME DIK HEAD.

[The Killer]

thats the only way to stop this madness!!! not put the killer some years in jail then let him go free after he took a life!!

western law support killers and rapers and criminals in general

[mint royale]

NO, if Western law supported murderers it would encourage murders. In fact a hefty jail sentence and a life with little job prospects is not what I would call support.

Or perhaps you mean the US where they still do have the death sentence?

[gumgum99]

Doesn't look like the casual type. I wonder if these murders are on the rise, or is just a trend of headlines that N4G has been getting lately.

[DreamcastFanboy]

RAGE MODE ACTIVE!

[Snatcher]

I can be pretty mad sometimes. Like when I lost a Fifa 09 match with my brother. My brother was being such a asshole. He was pointing and laughing at me, and doing all kind of crazy sh*t, like showing his ass to me. Then I punched him really hard on the face, and he punched me also. Then we had a fight. But I would never do something gruesome as this. Never ever. And he wouldn't too.

[Time_Is_On_My_Side]

I've heard people with mental problems can't participate in specific activities, like someone with down-syndrome will easily get frustrated when playing (physical) basketball because of the skills involved. So I’m guessing video games can fall in that category if it’s too complex for an individual to comprehend.

Plus being *schizophrenic* (like the character in "Manhunt 2" named *Daniel "Danny" Lamb*) will mess you up in any situation since the person’s perception(s)/expression(s) of reality is distorted. So these people should only be playing hockey games - or anything along those lines - instead of Grand Thief Auto 4 to just replicate the actions in real life.

[Ninjamonkey]

Wow I never knew that...

it just further goes to show that if his psychiatrist listened it could have been easily avoided...

[corywebb93]

Tipical ps3 owners i would had done the same thing iff i owned a ps3

[skatezero246]

you need to grow up ...

on topic: this kid needs to be put in a "hug me jacket" and locked in a cell for the rest of his days

[DLA2K9]

No Christmas cookies for him!

[Darkstorn]

Ha! You're so funny and cool! (I'm being sarcastic, btw. I'm not that thick).

[Harry190]

modern adaptation of 'crime and punishment ' heh.

[EL Lanf]

Makes me worried to think I went to a college in that area...

[maniacf40]

first one kills his son now the grandmother. xbots are really sick, twisted fvcks. no wonder they think the way they do.

[DiffusionE]

Last time I lost a game on COD4, I got so angry that I mercilessly slaughtered hundreds of ants...and a few butterflies too. Oh, and I also played GTA: San Andreas a few years back.

On a more serious note, this guy obviously has serious mental issues. It's pathetic that people are trying to pin the blame on video games. Don't put the blame on the game, blame his parents, blame his temper and mainly his drinking & psychological disorder.

But I agree with Dark Witness. There is indeed a noticeable loss of respect for human life in the last decade or so. But it's not just games, we have gory-violent R-rated movies everywhere, and music that has lyrics that glorifies suicide, rape and murder. What do parents expect from a kid growing up under heavy influence from those?

[Kakihara]

Ted Bundy once killed a girl after eating a sandwich. We should ban bread.

[InLaLaLand]

what a jabroni, dunno why people take gaming seriously.

[oldsnayke]

The boy clearly had issues, but nonetheless he should be put down like the animal that he is. Not only did he kill a woman, but an ELDERLY WIDOWED woman at that. Who would do this? Then he wrote, "I did not MEAN to kill this old woman" in lipstick on her mirror. This clearly shows that he has issues (hence the schizophrenia).

I smell jailbait.

[Shadowstar]

Wait. It would have been better if he'd killed a young woman who'd still had her husband alive...? (Or a single man, for that matter? It's just a little silly to single out the fact that she was old and widowed.)

He's mentally ill. Personally, I don't think he deserves death. I think he needs far better help than he's had. But that's me coming with my background of a country without the death penalty for some very good reasons...

[Ninjamonkey]

No joke that has actually made me pretty sad. Thats just horrible and i feel incredibly sorry for the old woman who was killed and her family.

But at the end of the day this has nothing to do with games.

What makes this really sad is that prior to this the killer told psychiatrists that he was hearing voices in his head telling him to "kill" and they didnt listen. Becuase of this he turned to heavy drinking and so the anger from loosing (no doubt hightened by the alcohol), the heavy drinking and his mental condition caused him to go completely crazy.

Whilst I feel that the killer is to blame I personally think that the psychiatrist has just as much blame for not listening. If this person had help to combat his condition its very likely that this never wuld have heppened.

But lately there has been a huge amount of news concerning how our social services are failing people, children and adults. This just further proves this...

What makes it so sad is that this was so easy to aviod. Its unbelievable...

[LiquifiedArt]

"Whilst I feel that the killer is to blame I personally think that the psychiatrist has just as much blame for not listening. If this person had help to combat his condition its very likely that this never wuld have heppened."

This is liberalism at its best. You cannot make an innocent person serve a sentence for someone else's actions. With that train of thought, we'd be in a pre-crime environment, where you'd get jailed for having certain genes.

I can take this way of thinking so far its atrocious.

"If only the bar tender would of took his keys." - Jail the Bartender
"If the parents only taught their kids XYZ." - Jail the Parents
"The client refused to take the vacination." - Jail the Doctor
"The teacher didn't allow the child to be himself." - Jail the Teacher

I could fathom up "excuses" (because thats what they are) to ANY sin I commit. I'm sure you can see the problem with allowing others to pay the price, for what YOU did. Liberals LOVE LOVE LOVE, to shift the blame and that isn't right.

The Kid is to blame.
Plain and simple.
You have FREE WILL to choose any action you take.
Period.

[shutupandplay]

And people think I`m strange for keeping weapons for my safety in my home. Articles like this, while VERY sad, only prove my point. These stories honestly scare the sh*t out of me. Imagine if you came face to face with a crazy kid in your house and you don`t have gun handy, you`re left to fight him with you hands, or something you can grab. People, keep a gun in your home, for your safety. Please.

[bjornbear]

"Teenager killed widow with axe in drink-fuelled rage after losing a bet to his brother"

"Teenager killed widow with axe in drink-fuelled rage after losing a poker game to his brother"

"Teenager killed widow with axe in drink-fuelled rage after losing a pool game to his brother"

this could go on...i made my point

sad to hear though

[SteveSmith]

Wow, I knew I owned this little pansy hard online, but never thought this would create such an horrible event!

[lizard81288]

well, if you read the 1st paragraph, it says he's got problems.

this has little to nothing to do with "the video games made me do it."

if they are saying that, its a lame attempt. are they going to say soccer made him pick up an axe, and repeatedly bash someones head with it?

[Shawshank22]

My new article actually adresses some of the most apalling behavior so called 'gaming' inflicts.