A man has pleaded guilty to killing an 18-day-old baby so that he could finish his videogame in peace. On October 26, 2007, Rene Edward Barrios was trusted to look after his girlfriend's newborn baby while it was sleeping. Leaving it in the next room, Barrios was playing an unspecified game when the baby started to cry.
Enraged by the noise, the man went into the next room, where he violently shook the child and hit it in the head. With the baby subdued, Barrios then went to finish his videogame for the next ten minutes, coming back to check on the child only to find it blue and unconscious. The baby died later in hospital and Barrios was arrested there and then. He has officially been found guilty of manslaughter and faces between 10.5 and 21 years of prison.
Having lived with far younger siblings, one can sympathize with the agony of having a child's screaming ruin your gaming. But Jesus Christ on a ferris wheel, it's depressing to think that people are capable of this.
[Thanks, Pew]
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
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Contest:
9:16 AM on 08.30.2008
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"Having lived with far younger siblings, one can sympathize with the agony of having a child's screaming ruin your gaming. But Jesus Christ on a ferris wheel, it's depressing to think that people are capable of this."
I have three brothers, and I know the annoyances of having somebody interrupt you during playing. I know that killing the person or thing that bothers you is not the answer. How come other "Adults" can't figure this out? I feel you Jim, this sad sad world is coming to an unethical time.
This man, deserves to die.
Posting this every time I see a violent gamer story, because I'm bitter.
10.5-12 years, no life?I hope this man gets the death penalty like JTHomeslice said. If he doesn't die, he should be raped every night.I get annoyed when my brother talks to me when I'm on live, but Jesus Christ I don't kill him. Its these kind of people who shouldn't be allowed near games and give games bad names. Now everyone here can agree that Fox is going to do a report on this.
BTW, 12 years for killing a child? My capital punishment sensation is tingling abnormally.
Eegra can be funny, but I sometimes wonder how they can find oxygen with that horse they ride being so goddamn high.
It's like, you've got mention of Gears of War 2 not coming to PC, Gamestop cancelling Ghostbusters preorders, HOLD ON MAN KILLS BABY OVER A VIDYAGAME, Dissidia footage. As the old song goes, "one of these things is not like the other..."
I mean, I can deal with it like a good little boy, but it still irks me when game sites report this :U
He was probably playing Wii Sports, no less.
And its not a matter of if, its simply when it happens.
Plus I don't believe in Heaven or Hell and would much rather die than spend life, or even 12 years in prison. He might be the same way, for all you know. And judging by the fact he murdered a baby over a game, I doubt he believes in Hell. Would you really want to give him his way?
Anyway, this guy really makes me sick to my stomach. Murdering a defenseless baby just so he can find a save point or something trivial like that. This is something an animal does, not a human being. Let this monster rot in prison.
That's the real issue at hand here.
Madden = SERIOUS BUSINESS
Gaming isn't going anywhere. We still have books, movies, music, and comic books. Video games are just the most recent target for the perpetual arsenal of the conerned, ignorant, and self-righteous. Give it time, they'll find something else to attack.
Maybe they'll run out of things to attack and start attacking each other.
Thats when we'll strike.
I don't really think Eegra's out-of-line at all. The games industry, and the games blogging world, need criticism. And who's a better critic than the court jester?
I also like how the article ends with "Thanks, Pew," almost as though he's somehow responsible.
Seriously though, this is quite messed up.
It takes a minimum of two people to handle a child(newborn). Even then someone else should come in to check on them. Cause all they do is whine, scream, shit, and rip up nipples. Then you have to deal with the wife moaning.
Anyone who hasn't had to watch a newborn and work. Especially 16 hour shifts. Shouldn't comment at all.
another fatherless child (no longer)being raised by a guy who doesnt care about the child because "its not his".
he deserves the death penalty. or maybe he should be shaken to death by a paint can mixer.
That dude is sick and will be raped in prision and i would never entrust my kid to Volomon.
Get that bullshit out of here, man.
Yeah, no. If anyone was going to have "cause" to kill the kid, it'd have been the mother, suffering from post-partum depression/psychosis. As horrible as it'd have still been, at least there would have been the hormonal chaos to begin explaining why someone would do such a thing.
THIS guy is a fucking douchewad, no two ways about it. If you're THAT busy, then the guy should've been sleeping, not playing videogames. I agree that this probably would've been the same scenario if he'd been reading a book or watching a movie - he simply didn't want to be interrupted and abused the child into submission until all was quiet again. Do I think he MEANT to kill the child? No. But there was definitely an ill intention at work, or at least a selfish one.
I hope he dies in prison.
get your lynchmob essentials here!
pitchforks & flaming torches going cheap while stocks last
buy 10 get 1 free
awaits gleeful anti-videogame nazi's
PS3 Owners are the lowest of the low.
Are you trying to excuse the fact that this man killed his infant child? There's really no response I can possibly make to that. All I'll say is, there is no excuse for it, no matter how much you may think there is. End of story. If you have kids, I feel sorry for them.
@Atlas
Runescape? I think that earns him an extra level of hell, or something.
There's no point wasting two lives over a mistake while pissed off. I can see why you people are angry but this guy is obviously upset with what he's done and he's the person who has to live with this for the rest of his life. The majority of you guys will have totally forgotten about this in a couple of months, he'll have to live with the fact he killed a newborn child by accident.
Better yet, let's make that "Let he who has never shaken and struck something tiny and defenseless cast the first stone" and you'll have yourself a deal.
*raises hand*
i'm not sure if not specifying the game he was playing is defending what he was playing or condemning video games as a whole. and like others said, he plead guilty so he didn't mean to do it. but how could he think that the general way to get something quiet is to beat it up till it's quiet? that's not even worthy of the facepalm.jpg
HAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
Oh yes. The "I'm sure you've killed a housefly" defense. If I ever plan on murdering anyone, I'll be sure to discuss that one with my attorney.
HAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA.