Daniel Petrić (Serbian Cyrillic: Данијел Петрић; born August 24, 1991) is an American convicted murderer from Wellington, Ohio. At age 16, he shot his parents after his father confiscated his video game. His mother died, but his father recovered.^[2] He is incarcerated for life, with a chance for parole. Studies of video game addiction or the effects of violent video games on society, as well as gun control, often mention Petrić.

Petrić was born on August 24, 1991, to Mark Petrić, a Pentecostal minister, and Susan Petrić. He lived in Brighton Township with his parents and attended high school in nearby Wellington.^[3] According to his father, Petrić had a loving relationship with both of his parents.^[4] Those who knew Petrić described him as cheerful, outgoing, and deeply engaged with biblical studies. At school, Petrić maintained average grades and showed no signs of psychological issues that could predispose him to violence.^[4]

Following a skiing injury, Petrić contracted a staphylococcus infection and was housebound for a year. During this time, a friend introduced him to the Halo video game series. Petrić quickly became addicted to the games, often playing for "seven or eight hours a day" at Johnson's house.^[5] When Petrić's father insisted that he leave home if he could not curtail his gaming, Petrić moved in with the friend for a weekend, playing Halo for as much as eighteen hours a day with minimal breaks. Petrić eventually bought his own copy of the newly released Halo 3 without his father's knowledge. Upon catching his son with the game, Mark confiscated it and placed it in a safe that also contained a nine-millimeter (9mm) Taurus PT92 handgun.^[5]

On October 20, 2007 – about a week after the game was confiscated – Petrić found the key to the safe, from which he then removed the game and the gun. Around 7 PM,^[6] came up behind his parents while they were sitting on a couch and said, "Would you close your eyes, I have a surprise for you." He then shot them.^[5] Susan Petrić died from wounds in the head, arms, and chest. Petrić then placed the gun in his father's hand.^[7]

A few minutes later, his sister Heidi and her husband arrived at the house, planning to watch a baseball game on television.^[6] Petrić told them not to come in because (he said) their parents were fighting, but they forced their way in when they heard groaning. Petrić drove away in the family van, but he was pursued and captured by police.^[3]

Petrić's trial was held from December 15 to 17, 2008^[5] at the Lorain County Court of Common Pleas in Elyria, Ohio;^[8] Petric elected a bench trial.^[5]

At the trial, Petrić was seen crying. His father was supportive and said Petric deeply regretted what he had done.^[8]

The prosecutor, Anthony Cillo, portrayed Petrić as a heartless killer. He showed no remorse for his actions, so he claimed, and tried to set up the shooting as a suicide. He had planned his crime carefully, knowing that Heidi Archer and her husband planned to enter the house at 9 PM, but his plot was foiled when they arrived two hours early. In a psychological report ordered by the defense, Petrić had informed the psychologist that he had planned the murder of his parents for a week.^[6]

James Kersey represented Petrić as the defense attorney. Neither Kersey nor Petrić attempted to dispute the facts of the crime;^[5] instead, Kersey argued for the insanity defense, video game addiction being the underlying psychiatric condition.^[9] Because of the enormous amount of stress put on him due to his severe infection and resultant spinal injury, Petrić was much more susceptible to being influenced by the game, not to mention his youth. Petrić, he claimed, was not in the right state of mind to understand the finality of shooting his parents. In other words, he had been playing violent video games so long that he did not realize that real-life death is permanent. The levels of video games can be replayed over and over again; killed and injured characters, including the player himself, return to their original states at every reset. Petrić, he continued, must have expected that his mother would eventually return to a healthy and normal state, having been immersed in virtual violence so long.^[5]

Kersey disputed the prosecution's assertions about Petrić's personality, using the testimony of Petrić's family, friends, and acquaintances to contend that he was a typical teenager. The young Petrić's addiction was strong enough for him take along a video game of all things while fleeing. To Kersey, Petrić was not a plotting murderer, but someone who spontaneously killed without planning. The defense did not present psychologists for an expert opinion on the mental effects of violent video games.^[6]

Petrić was convicted for aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, and tampering with evidence.^[1] Due to his age, Petrić could not be sentenced to death. The judge sentenced him to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 23 years, which was the minimum sentence. The maximum sentence Petrić faced was life in prison without parole, recommended by the prosecuting attorney.^[7]

The case has been highlighted in papers and articles regarding video game addiction and video game violence. Halo 3 publisher Microsoft commented briefly to the media, "We are aware of the situation and it is a tragic case."^[10] Petrić is currently serving his sentence at Grafton Correctional Institution and will be eligible for parole in 2030.^[1]

• Interview with a 21-year-old imprisoned Daniel Petric and his father on the talk show Katie (3.5 minutes)