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Teenagers charged in 'Mortal Kombat' tragedy photo

Oh dear. When the game haters of the world hear about this one, there's going to be a field day to rival the Romans reveling over bloody crucifixions. Apparently on December 6th, 7 year old Zoe Garcia was being watched by her older sister Heather Trujillo, 16 and her boyfriend Lamar Roberts, 17. After some drinking, the two teens decided to act out the game Mortal Kombat and decided to get Zoe in on the action.

According to Heather, they were hitting and kicking Zoe while acting out the game and even dropped her on her side, breaking her wrist in the process. Roberts, who claimed to be a martial arts expert, says that Zoe asked him to stop hitting her but due to his state of intoxication he did not comply. He performed a back kick on the child, which she did not get up from. The teens tried to revive her several times and did not succeed. The cause of death was later named as "blunt force trauma" to her brain and central nervous system.

Digging into the family background is equally as upsetting as the incident itself, with many reports of previous abuse within the household. Zoe actually admitted to another babysitter that Lamar had hit her before when asked about bruises on her body. Neighbors also commented that Zoe played alone and was openly resistant to wanting to go home.

Heather and Lamar were arrested this past Tuesday on charges of child abuse resulting in death. They are currently in custody, each being held on a $100,000 bond.

I'm sure you're wondering why I haven't raved about setting these kids on fire, as I so love to do (set things on fire, not specifically kids.) I would, but our own Jonathan Holmes has a separate editorial on the subject following this news piece, so if you want to get your opinion in check it out and map out how you're feeling about this tragic turn of events.

[Via Denver Post


Continue: More WROOOOOOONG!!! stories





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76 comments | showing # 1 to 50

ShadowXOR's Avatar
ShadowXOR at 12/20/2007 01:12
What the hell was electro lemon thinking?!
Macca's Avatar
Macca at 12/20/2007 01:19
ShadowXOR: ElectroLemon is Jax?!?!?
witthaus's Avatar
witthaus at 12/20/2007 01:20
This is horrible. Give these assholes the death penalty now.
technical ta's Avatar
technical ta at 12/20/2007 01:21
What the fuck.
Macca's Avatar
Macca at 12/20/2007 01:22
I agree with Witthaus though. These scum don't deserve to live.
Samit Sarkar's Avatar
Samit Sarkar at 12/20/2007 01:26
Oh, boy...I can’t wait for the shitstorm on this one.
Niero's Avatar
Niero at 12/20/2007 01:33
Let's compile a check list, shall we?

Alcohol? Check.

Shitty parents? Check.

Unsupervised teens running amuck on a regular basis? Check.

References to how Rock and Roll and movies are responsible? None! Good thing video games came along!
specter620's Avatar
specter620 at 12/20/2007 01:40
I blame the Mortal Kombat movie.
Samit Sarkar's Avatar
Samit Sarkar at 12/20/2007 01:47
Wait, what?

Each faces one count of child abuse resulting in death, a Class 2 felony. If convicted, the sentence can range from 16 to 48 years.

You’ve got to be kidding me. That’s it? That’s all they’re getting charged with, and that’s the worst possible consequence for them? Wow.
s0lesurviv0r's Avatar
s0lesurviv0r at 12/20/2007 01:53
If they want to blame Mortal Kombat so bad, have the person flipping the switch at their execution dress up as Raiden. Seven years old, I really hope they get what's coming to them in this life and the next.
mispelt's Avatar
mispelt at 12/20/2007 01:59
Normally, I would have some snarky comment to add, but I don't. Gas these fucks.

And if they so much as mention Mortal Kombat, a game released at roughly the time of their births, I will find and destroy both of them myself.
8BitBrad's Avatar
8BitBrad at 12/20/2007 02:13
Again, people are going to blame a tragic story on video games. They will dismiss the fact that alcohol was one of the leading factors in this case (underage in fact) So, what about the parents? Also, they will dismiss the fact of past child abuse in the case.

Like Iv said and will continue to say. Video games don't make people do this. The idea has to be in their heads to begin with. If a person wants to shoot up a school or something as sad as this... They will do it and it wont take a video game to push them that far. These people are sick.

Also what happened to the justice system?
Grocerspride's Avatar
Grocerspride at 12/20/2007 02:17
Drunken Stupidity and previous abuse are to blame, not games.

This poor girl died for no reason and didn't seem to be having that great of a life in the short time she was here... sometimes this world just isn't fair.
Gorelord's Avatar
Gorelord at 12/20/2007 02:31
i wonder if he pretended he was Jax
ToxinBlackheart's Avatar
ToxinBlackheart at 12/20/2007 02:31



The likeness is uncanny.
DaedHead8's Avatar
DaedHead8 at 12/20/2007 02:36
The kid claimed to be a martial arts expert, so if anything all the tae kwon do dojos around the country should be shut down before they start blaming video games for this mess. Mortal kombat taught me to do an upercut by pressing "down A" I don't remember the part in the instruction manual that told me to drop kick my girlfriends little sister.
Cloudman's Avatar
Cloudman at 12/20/2007 02:38
I don't think mortal kombat ever had a 7 year old girl character.
Necros's Avatar
Necros at 12/20/2007 02:57
Niero's comment is dead-on. This is so unfortunate.
Boolean's Avatar
Boolean at 12/20/2007 03:03
That bitch is hot!
Lou Chou's Avatar
Lou Chou at 12/20/2007 03:31
what the fuck is this, 1993? how is a Mortal Kombat reference even relevant? are they going to recall all copies of the game from circulation or something? fuck that.

like niero said, blame the real fucking problem. this video game violence bullshit is a stupid cliche for neglectful parents, and the authorities, to hide behind. in the news story the neighbour said she'd reported the abuse and fuck all came of it. it's not Midway's fault the child servies are relentlessly hopeless at their jobs.

i might just go out and stab someone, hide the body, and say I got the idea from Bewitched. "i just wanted to make something disappear like they do on the show" I'll say. we'll see what the headline reads then...
Mr Jonson's Avatar
Mr Jonson at 12/20/2007 03:40
How drunk and bored can you be to do something like this??

Back in my day, drunk teen couples resorted to sex and getting unwanted pregnancies.
lessthan12parsecs's Avatar
lessthan12parsecs at 12/20/2007 04:17
Lou Chou and Niero has it right on the money.

This is also one of those times I am glad I am not a cop...my gun would have "accidentally" gone off several times as these two were being handcuffed.

Where in Hades were the parent(s)? Mom or Dad or Grammie or whoever these two little morons live with will go crying to the media, holding hands with Jack-Off Thompson and blame everything under the sun...except for themselves.

Stop using video games as a crutch for being shitty parents.

lessthan12parsecs
Lou Chou's Avatar
Lou Chou at 12/20/2007 04:18
that's still the past time here in the UK.

there's violence too, but people don't tend to go around chanting "fatality!" after they pop you in the face.
AfroJoel's Avatar
AfroJoel at 12/20/2007 04:18
These stupid cunts should be curb stomped.
Knives's Avatar
Knives at 12/20/2007 04:22
Fuckng Idiots, I agree with Windex, that was a perfect opportunity to have sex.
JACK of No Trades's Avatar
JACK of No Trades at 12/20/2007 06:20
Should I say the sterotypical comment? Yes and No
cjpkiller's Avatar
cjpkiller at 12/20/2007 06:27
odd that theyve had a history of this...
yep... all video games...
JACK of No Trades's Avatar
JACK of No Trades at 12/20/2007 06:39
Anyways, they both need to be beat with socks filled with screws and pool balls untill they choke and die off there own blood. Fucking idiot kids.
DonofWar's Avatar
DonofWar at 12/20/2007 07:06
These two folks were bound to kill someone at some point..robbery , crack deal, accidentally set themselves on fire.. they put a frickin raw egg in her mouth while she was unconcious...Gee, I wonder if she aspirated any of that into her lungs. Morons.. this has nothing to do with MK..this cake was baked a long time ago, by the parents.

I blame the parents. How about a rule like,, no, your 17 yr old BF cannot come over and get drunk while you savagely attack your sister.
WDot's Avatar
WDot at 12/20/2007 08:07
I think 16-48 years is in the slammer is a fair punishment. Jail isn't a nice place, and gassing them is not an improvement over what they did.

As usual, I'm ready and willing to email my local news station if they overhype the video games part of the story.
winojesus's Avatar
winojesus at 12/20/2007 08:09
Its easy to point the finger at games, but suffice to say if the mortal kombat games weren't so shit then this would never have happened.
Snaileb 's Avatar
Snaileb at 12/20/2007 08:19
Niero pretty much sumed it up. How ridiculously stupid.
weedgan's Avatar
weedgan at 12/20/2007 08:20
Hhaha,

Fatality? You bet your ass.

Best picture quote ever.
realyst's Avatar
realyst at 12/20/2007 08:41
If it wasn't MK, they would have acted our some stupid horror movie or truck rally or something. Scum of the Earth.

Need to take it out on a child on account of being no good fucking cowards.

Funny how Heather is shedding a tear in the pic. No doubt 100% due to being caught and 0% remorse.
Velt's Avatar
Velt at 12/20/2007 08:47
Anyone with two finger in their forehead knows that videogames here are a lame excuse made up by some shitty lawyer and fulled by media.
Drunk kids- Check.
Abuse history- check.
Violent behavior- check.
Absence of parents (if you can call that parents)- check.

Are we suprised? They are going to blame videogames for political reassons, but deep inside the know that is just a fucked up world.
MisterMingo's Avatar
MisterMingo at 12/20/2007 08:50
YES!! GUYS, OUR EVIL PLOT TO HAVE EVERYONE KILLED BY MORTAL KOMBAT FATALITY IS WORKING! HEIL MIDWAY, OUR DARK LORD!!

Fucking media bullshit. Unbelievable. I can't believe they're just going to gloss over the past abuse, the alcohol, and the lack of parental supervision. They'll just go straight for the gaming industry.

Fucking cowards. They're afraid to accept that some people are just not right in the head. Afraid to call out the shitty parents. Afraid to accept the reality of our world.

Oh, and the death penalty is too good for these two. That's the easy way out. There is no Hell waiting for them. They deserve to rot in prison for life. Not 16 to 48 years, LIFE. And hopefully get beaten/stabbed/raped regularly. THAT is the closest thing to Hell we've got, people.
decoyb's Avatar
decoyb at 12/20/2007 08:54
Sadly there's no good way to end this. If they go to prison we pay for their food, tv, even videogames, and they come out worse than they went in. It's a good argument for the death penalty for minors though.
Holyetheline's Avatar
Holyetheline at 12/20/2007 08:56
Stories like this make me want to vomit all over the place and then go into a corner and cry. It just makes me so sick and upset to hear this.
unitqm's Avatar
unitqm at 12/20/2007 08:57
Don't comment here... we all are in agreement. Go make comments on the news site instead. Or not do what you want.
itemforty's Avatar
itemforty at 12/20/2007 09:03
I... I have a soft spot for children. This is really terrible.
burglarize's Avatar
burglarize at 12/20/2007 09:05
Yeah great ideas guys, someone died, let's add two more to the death toll.

There is no justice in the death sentence. Revenge is not justice.

They should've chosen Viva Pinata as the weapon of choice, at least it would've been a recent game. Plus the game encourages incest and the mindless beating of animals until they explode.
MisterMingo's Avatar
MisterMingo at 12/20/2007 09:09
"Sadly there's no good way to end this. If they go to prison we pay for their food, tv, even videogames, and they come out worse than they went in."

1) So what? Prison still sucks. And what, prisoners shouldn't be allowed to eat? Weak argument.

2) They can't "come out worse" if they get life and don't get out at all. That's what SHOULD happen in this case.
trunxkam45's Avatar
trunxkam45 at 12/20/2007 09:43
This is really terrible and tragic but I didn't hear anyone making a big fuss about the mass murdering pig farmer who fed his victims to his pigs. He was charged with SECOND-degree murder. There were witnesses, one of which saw him in his barn with a lady on a meathook. And he admitted to the crimes too.

I really don't see how videogames play a role here. This is ridiculous.
BabyRus's Avatar
BabyRus at 12/20/2007 09:48
i'm feeling sick after reading that. WTF!!!!????
michiyoyoshiku's Avatar
michiyoyoshiku at 12/20/2007 09:50
So will they be sentanced to having an MK 2 machine dropped on them or having their spines torn out?
Nassimo's Avatar
Nassimo at 12/20/2007 09:51
This is horible how can you sleep at night after doing that.

Thats gross feeding his victims to his pigs?
RskimB's Avatar
RskimB at 12/20/2007 10:09
I feel sorry for the little girl that died.
dumb bastards
NihonTiger90's Avatar
NihonTiger90 at 12/20/2007 10:12
There was a past history of abuse here, which is gonna get completely overlooked because games are involved. They have their scapegoat.
Cheeburga's Avatar
Cheeburga at 12/20/2007 10:36
LOL OF COURSE IT WAS MORTAL KOMBAT AND NOT MARTIAL ARTS OR A TYPE OF FIGHTING STYLE WHICH MORTAL KOMBAT IS INFLUENCED OFF OF.
Achievement unlocked: Flawless Victory IRL.
king3vbo's Avatar
king3vbo at 12/20/2007 10:37
Niero could not have said it better.

Shitty parenting, alcohol, and fucked up kids are a combination for disaster. Dont blame this on a game, blame this on fucked up parenting
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