Hitman and Manhunt are close enough in terms of gameplay for his description to apply to either game. Both games are pretty well-loaded with sneaky from-behind kills.

Still, it's a flailing defense that isn't likely to go anywhere.

This looks like a call for Jack Thompson...

Apply palm to face.

No no, this isn´t news worthy. I prefer the Neogeo replica controller on gizmodo. stop that. I won´t pay attention to this kind of stuff anymore, those kind of news doesn´t deserve it.

Disgusting. Both what happened and how these lawyers are exploiting it without even doing proper research. Simply disgusting.

He should go back to making codecs.

God damn it is there no accountability anymore?

So it's no longer a person's fault for committing a crime, there's something else to blame?

Should we blaming the beer companies for causing drunk drivers to kill people?

Oh lord. Does this never end?

Eeeech... I'm going outside to drink a beer in the sun.

my god it would hurt to be stabbed in the back...

That is horrible. WTF is up with kids now a days where they can't play tag but baseball with someone's head and then just lopping it off and burning the body. Just the thought or mage of the the person's remains is disturbing. I am no form of power that can say this must happen and they deserver but I honestly think they should be trailed for live for doing something so gross. Blah...

Yeah i never played HItman but i think this would be more along the lines of Manhunt. Hey i mean if you throw a net into a pond you will get something and here we are just with a game. If only they could just research enough to know wtf they were talking about, but then again thats asking for to much :/

Is thats what CNN is passing off as English nowadays?

Dear Lord, I couldn't understand that excerpt at all.

I am killing someone, and blaming it on Oprah.

What a tragedy.

Said thats instead of that...yes I see the irony.

I'm sure that before "Hitmanhunt", Orlewicz was a perfectly normal, well-adjusted, peaceful human being.

In other news, a 3 year old boy was found mutilating a rabbit, sources confirm that indeed he was trying to emulate his cartoon hero, Elmer Fudge. A Warner Bros. representative was unavailible to comment.

not this again D=

@ShaggE: i second that

Awesome. The irony of this statement is that its NOT coming from prosecutor.

I don't even know what that statement is trying to accomplish, its incoherent. Was he watching/playing? what?, got impressions of killing people?..what?

/palmface.

On a side note, doesn't any one else see the irony that a Mafia 2 post is right below this one?

SUSPICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!

@TaggarT6: dude, I had to read the quote 3 times just to understand wtf they're talking about.

I need to go commit some crimes so I can blame them on video games.

BRB!

The Video-Game Defense: "Just as ludicrous as the Chewbacca Defense...except people buy it."

OBJECTION! This guy --watched-- a video game!? The screwup wasn't between Manhunt/Hitman... the man was clearly driven into a murderous rage by MARKY MARK: MAKE MY VIDEO!!

And really... who could blame him for that?

@ShaggE:

Second.

Hmmm... I find his lack of baldness disturbing!

Holy hell... when will the bullshit ever end?

I also seriously doubt there are people that are THAT fanatical about Hitman.

This has been a huge story here in Michigan since it broke a few months ago. It seems like any story involving someone under 20 and violence immediately gets linked to gaming and how it's corrupting our youth. Boo, sensationalist stories.

Last time I played Hitman I dont remember there being a function to "Cut off the head and burn the body"

This was in my local news quite a bit ago and all the reasons they reported that were suspected had nothing to do videogames.

I guess it just makes for a better story on national news to get viewers when fingers are pointed at videogames.

Because, you know the news showing beheadings or just the regular every day violence over in Iraq isn't an influence. It's not an influence because it's news. I hate the news media and I wish they would quit with the ratings grabbing fear mongering sensationalism.

this kid needs to be dead...actually he needs the same crime happen to him...eye for an eye.

Oh yeah i remember the mission on Hitman where you have to cut off the guys head and then burn him.

your suit is black NOT.

On a side note, i doubt ill have many peaceful dreams this week with that kids eyes now permenantly burnt into my membrane.

Well the least we can say is... he wasn't having sex in public! Thank goodness for that, right 37% of the American population?

Hmm, it says 24 comments on this post, yet I see none... Anyway...

It really saddens me to read about people finding new and creative ways to blame their failings on anything but themselves.
This is nothing new, man has always strived to find ways out of anything. The age of modern science has given many new avenues for people to ween their way out of any crime, and it can be sad. Sure there are legit excuses for committing a crime (psychological mostly), yet people still try to put blame on anything...

Videogames is still a relatively new medium and so this scapegoating will be around for awhile to come before people start to wise up. Everyone must learn to live with it, and just ignore or see through the useless media spewing that takes place on an almost daily basis now. One day... Many moons from now, video games will finally get its name cleared, and our eyes will turn towards the new scapegoat of that time. My guess: Hoverboarding and the revival of spandex.

So basically he had no personal reasons for killing that person, and just felt like it because he played Hitman?
This world doesn't make any sense.
I do agree with you on Manhunt..

Not to sound cold-hearted, but if he chopped off the head and burned the body, how did they manage to catch him?

These people need to stop blaming the games and blame their own pathetic mind. It is NOT the games fault because he wasn't right in the head. I've been playing violent games since I was seven, and I am NOT messed up at all. Why? Because I can tell the difference between what happens in the game and real life. Any one who lacks that function shouldn't be allowed EVER to see these or play these. Parents, do your damn jobs.

Christ thats intense!!...

@kelptocratic: amen.

I was watching the trial on CNN.com live on yesterday. I heard the lawyer mention Hitman (no they meant Hitman not Manhunt) once or twice when questioning a witness (one of the guy's friends). My impression was that it didn't relate well at all to the case. The witness played down the relation of video games to this crime (as to if it really is the case or not, I don't really know didn't watch the entire trial).

@SilentPredator: Ever read Native Son? Or seen a copy drama? Bone fragments from the ashes and general stupidity.

Maybe he kept the head in a safe under his bed. I don't know as I don't read CNN if I can avoid it.

That is some dark humour right there Mike :P

Anyway, the context made me sick to my stomach. "stabbing him multiple times in the back before sawing off his head and burning his body" - Disgusting.

Sawing someone's head off? Let's blame a videogame that he "watched." Huh? Terrorist video of beheading? Never heard of it... But they were probably "watching" games, too.

no, he didn't even play it apparently. He "watched" it, so can we slip in that suddenly it was all those violent movies in the mainstream, shift it bcak onto movies again?
On a slight side note, does anyone else find it annoying that if we get angry about all this stereotypical blaming of videogames cause violence, we are told that it's the games that are making us angry about it. I was actually told that by my psychology teacher when i started answering back in a debate on the subject in lesson. Sorry, rant over now.

Ugh, this is probably gonna get ugly. More fuel to the fire for JT.

This story has been in the news for months now in my state, where it took place. They were kids being stupid, sadistic kids, and nowhere did video games ever come up. None of the news agencies and publications up here ever once mentioned a video game link, but leave it to CNN...

I would point out how ridiculous this is, but let's face it.

With the readers we have here, I would be stating the obvious.

I don't necessarily condemn the defense, although they could have used a better argument.

Seeing how the defense is paid to try their best to prove someone innocent, regardless of whether it is true or not.

While the prosecution is paid to prove a person guilty, no matter what.

Will video games ever NOT be the scapegoat of every politician and lawyer. I love the hitman games, but you don't see me sawing off peoples heads. He probably saw it in a movie, those are always way more violent than games. Hostel anyone?

I don't remember killing someone from the back, cutting the head off and burning the body from Hitman. Hmm.

This is extremely unfortunate for gaming that such a sick individual even be associated with it. I don't think blaming video games is going to help the defense's cause either, only harm people's perceptions of gamers.

Reading about his crime made me want to barf. He's a fucking nut job.

@turbofreak:

Probably not, because it's a lazy/easy defense. Before video games they said music killed people ... which is just freaking ridiculous.

@Mikazukinoyaiba: Prosecution actually isn't suppose to prove that the defendant is guilty no matter what (only if it's according to the court of law). There's been plenty of times where (I think it's stated something like...) due to this new evidence the prosecution withdraws their case.