• crime

    Fla Supreme Court Hears Xbox Killers' Appeal

    The three man convicted of slaughtering six people in 2004 with baseball bats in a Florida home because of an Xbox should have been tried separately, a lawyer told the Florida Supreme Court on Monday.

    Jerone Hunter and Troy Victorino were both sentenced to death by electric chair or lethal injection in 2006, the third man received a life sentence without parole.

    Hunter's attorney argued earlier this week that his client should be spared from execution because he was acting under the "domination" of Victorino, that he had no prior criminal record and suffers from schizophrenia.

    The supreme court will make their decision at a later date, but I'd like to think that this is just the last desperate attempt of a vicious killer to escape his just punishment and that the court will be quick in crushing this man's last hopes.

    For those of you who don't recall the case, Victorino was angry because one of the victims took his Xbox and clothing from her grandparents vacant home, where he had been squatting, so he crept into her home and bludgeoned her and five others to death with baseball bats as they lay sleeping in bed.

    Supreme Court hears death sentence appeal in Xbox slayings [AP]

    8:00 AM on Tue May 6 2008
    By Brian Crecente
    1,988 views, 86 comments

  • crime

    Teens Charged in Death Over PSP

    Two teenagers have been charged in the death of James Felton-Maitland, 17, who was hit by a truck in Miami and killed while running from the teens bent on stealing his Playstation Portable, Miami-Dade police said.

    Police sayd that Jamila "Jam" Brown, 19, and Keith Lebrone Goa, 17, spotted Felton-Maitland as he walked from North Dade Regional Library on Dec. 27 with a PSP in his hand. The two knocked the teen to the ground and "beat him while attempted to take custody of the PSP," according to the arrest report. The teen managed to escape with his PSP and ran across a street where a truck slammed into him, causing severe head trauma.

    He died Jan. 5.

    Initially the Florida State Patrol ruled the death an accident, but the family hired a private detective and pamphleted the neighborhood with flier seeking witnesses. After tracking down the teens who allegedly tried to rob the boy, they handed their information over to the Miami-Dade Police Department.

    The teens, one of which later confessed, were arrested on charged of second-degree felony murder and strong-arm robbery. In Florida, anyone who commits a violent felony that results in death can be charged with murder.

    2 charged in teen's death over PlayStation [Miami Herald]

    9:00 AM on Tue Feb 5 2008
    By Brian Crecente
    6,600 views, 195 comments

  • law and order

    JT On Trial For Crimes Against Inanity

    I know I generally don't like writing about our good friend JT Lawyerman if I can avoid it, but then he generally isn't in the midst of an ethics trial in Florida court that could result in his disbarment. Yesterday marked the start of the trial we knew was coming eventually, as the Florida Bar explores several complaints regarding JT's professional conduct in his dealings with the video game industry. The anti-violent gaming crusader was metaphorically drug kicking and screaming to court, with a failed bid to block the trial last week followed by an offer of 3 months voluntary suspension filed over the weekend, which fell on deaf ears. Not so deaf now, as the Florida bar informed GamePolitics that the entire week has been set aside to hear the case, with the referee Judge Tunis having until the 21st of December to rule. It may look grim, but don't count JT out yet. All he has to do is win a court case and he...yeah, he's pretty much doomed here.

    Jack Thompson Faces Trial Before the Florida Bar Today     [GamePolitics.com]

    11:40 AM on Tue Nov 27 2007
    By Mike Fahey
    6,439 views, 133 comments

    Latest by K-Squad! (Badass Edition): But, if jack thompson is gone, who am i supposed to make fun of all day? :( more »

  • big brothers are awesome

    PS3 Robbers Get it with a Sword


    Most of the news lately about PS3 robberies have involved violence and/or tragedy. Well, not today. Two teenagers from Florida were able to beat a couple of robbers without getting a scratch on them. More »

    11:40 AM on Tue Jun 12 2007
    By Kim Phu
    4,498 views, 111 comments

  • mariokart

    Mario Kart Arcade


    Down at the All-Star Movies Resort in Disney World arcade, there is one game that definitely stands out above the rest in all it's driving wheel glory - MarioKart Arcade GP. Apparently, in addition to the already familiar characters of the original, there are also some new players in the game including Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, and a Pac-Man Ghost. Also the arcade game also has a camera that can take a picture of your face so that when you play multi-player, you know who you're beating or getting beating on by. More »

    1:40 PM on Thu Apr 5 2007
    By Kim Phu
    1,477 views, 109 comments

    Latest by MURDERFACE: @jeremedia: yeah it is i play that before i go on any rides @ Disney. But after you finish more »

  • otronicon

    Otronicon At The Orlando Science Center

    Otronicon is sure to satisfy every geek bone in your entire body. Not only is it 10 days of gaming and game related events, but it takes place in a science center! More »

    11:00 AM on Sun Jan 7 2007
    By fdemarco
    561 views, 9 comments

  • jack thompson

    Jack to Crecente: You Are a Hypocrite, Curious

    Facing a contempt hearing in a few hours, Jack Thompson sent out a letter to the press explaining how he is the one being bullied over the game Bully. More »

    12:17 PM on Wed Oct 25 2006
    By Brian Crecente
    808 views, 80 comments

  • crime

    Xbox Killers Sentenced to Death

    Two of the attackers in the now infamous "xbox murders" were sentenced to death today for their involvement in the slaughter of six people in a Florida home in 2004. More »

    3:40 PM on Fri Sep 22 2006
    By Brian Crecente
    2,579 views, 38 comments

  • pacman

    A Bit o' Backstory on the Pac Man Graffito

    Olskoolninja answered my query for information regarding the Jay, Florida Pac Man graffiti, but his evocative reminisces serve only to deepen by curiosity. What do nudists, hurricane victims and the KKK have to do with Pac Man scrawlings? More »

    7:40 PM on Fri Jul 28 2006
    By egauger
    349 views, 6 comments

  • pac man

    Only Pacman Remains

    In the fine Kotaku tradition of game-flavored graffiti, here's a spooky scrawl from the nearly-ghost town of Jay, Florida. If any Floridian Kotaku Scouts live nearby, perhaps they can enlighten me as to the significance of this work, if any. More »

    3:20 PM on Thu Jul 27 2006
    By egauger
    340 views, 6 comments