Tx. boy hangs self; saw Saddam on TV

[Vodstok]

HOUSTON - A 10-year-old boy was apparently mimicking Saddam Hussein's execution when he hanged himself from a bunk bed, police and family members said.

Sergio Pelico was found dead Sunday in his apartment bedroom after watching a news report on the execution of the former Iraqi leader, said Webster Police Lt. Tom Claunch.

"Our gut reaction is that he was experimenting," Claunch said after officials spoke with family members. An autopsy of the fifth-grader's body was pending.

Julio Gustavo, Sergio's uncle, described the boy as happy and curious. He said Sergio had watched TV news with another uncle on Saturday and asked the uncle about Saddam's death.

"His uncle told him it was because Saddam was real bad," Gustavo said. "He (Sergio) said, 'OK.' And that was it."

"I don't think he thought it was real," Gustavo said. "They showed them putting the noose around his neck and everything. Why show that on TV?"

Sergio's mother, Sara Pelico DeLeon, was at work Sunday and her children were being watched by a relative when one of them found Sergio's body, Gustavo said.

Police said the boy had tied a slipknot around his neck while on a bunk bed. Sergio had been upset about not getting a Christmas gift from his father, police said, but they don't believe he intentionally killed himself. Gustavo said the boy's father lives in New Jersey.

Family members held a memorial for the boy Wednesday in the apartment complex activity center. Gustavo said the family is trying to put together enough money to send Sergio's body to Guatemala for burial.

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I bet we wont hear of a single news show or senator calling for the news to be banned, or that it is a threat to our way of life.... And this was very clearly, a direct cause and effect situation, the kid DID kill himself because he saw it on the news....

I think the music, video game and film industries should sue the ever loving piss out of the people who ran the Saddam video...

[X¤MurderDoll¤X]

that's sad. :(

I wonder who decided it was OK to show executions on the news? ratings ratings.

[the_real_linda]

yeah i read this in the paper this morning....i havnt went online and viewed it or seen it on tv.....i dont know what to make of this kid hanging himself....its just too sad

[stubbornforgey]

oh hell this is sad
and its so true
children are so impressionable when it comes to telly.
You tell them that most of what they see there are played by actors
so its not real.:(

[Despare]

Come on, he was 10 years old! I knew not to do things like that when I was 10, my parents taught me enough by that age to know what would have happened. I think it's tragic as hell but I don't think we can blame TV for it. How the hell did he see it anyway?

[XtRaVa]

He watches someone being hanged on TV, and then hangs himself...and the TV isnt to blame? I think its too much of a coincidence for him to be messing around with a noose after seeing Saddam with one round his neck.

He saw it because it was on TV, on the news...What do you mean how did he see it? lol

Horrible story :(

[Despare]

He watches someone being hanged on TV, and then hangs himself...and the TV isnt to blame? I think its too much of a coincidence for him to be messing around with a noose after seeing Saddam with one round his neck.

He saw it because it was on TV, on the news...What do you mean how did he see it? lol

Horrible story :(

How did he see it? You don't understand the question? Would you let your ten year old boy watch somebody be hung? If so, wouldn't you talk to them about it? Yeah, blame the TV, because it's an inanimate object and takes the blame off of the people who had to teach and raise the kid.

[X¤MurderDoll¤X]

How did he see it? You don't understand the question? Would you let your ten year old boy watch somebody be hung? If so, wouldn't you talk to them about it? Yeah, blame the TV, because it's an inanimate object and takes the blame off of the people who had to teach and raise the kid.

well it was on the news...

You want parents to keep their kids from watching the news?

[Despare]

well it was on the news...

You want parents to keep their kids from watching the news?

No I want parents to discuss what is happening in the news with their children. Without discussion and understanding then the news becomes a mish-mash of violent images. If the child cannot understand what's happening in the news then yes, they should be kept from it because it serves no purpose unless it can be understood. I feel for the family and for the child, but you can't blame TV.

[XtRaVa]

How did he see it? You don't understand the question?

I understand the question, but you dont understand the answer.

It was on the news, on the TV. You know like when you're watching TV, and the news is on so you decide to see whats been happening in the world. They report the Saddam execution and show the bit of footage where they were putting the noose around his neck. (Shown daytime).

So the kids in the room watching TV too. Light bounces off the TV, and into the eye of the child and the picture is sent via the optic nerve to his brain, where he processes the image. With me? :p

I would let my 10 year old watch the news, I wouldnt want him to grow up not knowing anything about the world, sheltering them from everything and expecting them to do okay for themselves once I'm gone, would you?

The TV is inanimate, but it shows footage of real things and real people. The kid was feeling upset apparently, and I agree to an extent that "playing" with a noose at the age of 10 is quite stupid, very stupid in fact. So lets go with the idea that actually he was trying to kill himself (bit far fetched for a 10 year old, but its one explanation), if that was the case the TV gave him the idea of using a noose.

Therefore its the TV's fault. I doubt at the age of 10 his school would be teaching about hangings, and tying nooses, only the TV could of shown him that. The FACT of the matter is, if he hadnt of seen a noose going around Saddams neck, he wouldnt of done the exact same thing to himself. Maybe he would have drunk a bottle of bleach? Who knows.

Anyway, R.I.P and condolences to the family...

[Despare]

You would let your kid watch the news without knowing and understanding what it was about? Think about that. If he doesn't understand what's happening how does that help him know about the world? If you're going to let him watch a man die you would AT LEAST talk to the kid about death wouldn't you? Maybe not... Maybe in six months the kid would have set fire to his house because "he saw it on TV".

[XtRaVa]

If you read the report, his Uncle DID talk to him about what he saw on the TV. How I would raise my children is absolutely none of your business, thanks for the concern though.

I don't know what point you are trying to make. Are you saying the kid hung himself purposely and imagined the idea without ever seeing it somewhere else first? Great explanation.

[Despare]

If you read the report, his Uncle DID talk to him about what he saw on the TV. How I would raise my children is absolutely none of your business, thanks for the concern though.

I don't know what point you are trying to make. Are you saying the kid hung himself purposely and imagined the idea without ever seeing it somewhere else first? Great explanation.


I'm saying that if the kid hung himself because he saw it on television then the parenting to prevent it was most likely not there and he would emulate something else sooner or later anyway. I'm sure his Uncle gave him a great in depth view of crime and punishment, it's all so sad, let's ban the news. I guess I was just a brilliant young man because I knew at ten years old how to tie a correct noose and also that I would die if I hung myself. As far as your children, I wasn't asking about you specifically because personally I couldn't care. I was being general to illustrate a point. You didn't get it, you got it, or I didn't make a good enough point; it doesn't really matter to me. I've said what I wanted to say and that's all I care about. A kid died in a very tragic way and all the discussion in the world won't bring him back or prevent another kid doing something similar in the future.

[XtRaVa]

Thanks for not caring if my children hang themselves or not. What a lovely person.

[X¤MurderDoll¤X]

I guess I was just a brilliant young man because I knew at ten years old how to tie a correct noose and also that I would die if I hung myself.

highfive fellow genius.

[XtRaVa]

So the kid was a fucking idiot for not knowing he would die. Maybe he was just very unintelligent, he doesnt deserve to die.

That, or he knew he would die and was trying to commit suicide. He still got the idea of hanging himself from seeing it on the TV. Most 10 year olds dont learn how to tie noose's out of general interest with no inspiration from other sources such as books or TV.