A Detroit man ends his 6 day Berzerk Marathon by executing wife, six children, three dogs, and two cats; then turns gun on himself.
911 dispatchers received reports late Wednesday evening of gunshots heard in the area of 11th Avenue and Telegraph Way. Police, firefighters, and paramedics converged onto the scene of a two story home to find the bullet riddled bodies of two adults, 6 children aged 8 months, 2 years, 7 years, 11 years, 13 years, and 16 years old, three huskies; and two persian cats. One of the adult bodies is believed to be perpetrator of the heinous act: 50 year old Lowell Newbois.
Newbois who is well known in the retro gaming community as an unrecognized Berzerk champion whose relentless attempts at world records on the once popular arcade game went mostly unnoticed. In the game Berzerk you control a stick figure who is constantly being chased by robots and a smiley face in a never ending maze. Electrified walls and bullets further enhance the difficulty of the game.
According to neighbors Lowell lost his job three years ago after assaulting a contractor and had been unemployed ever since. Gary Minineux who lived across the street from the crime scene shared the following:
“Lowell was a crazy and violent man. He spent hours and sometimes days playing that damn game. He’d often crank up the volume and we’d hear the zaps and robot voices early into the pre-dawn hours.”
Berzerk was unique for its time which featured a variety of voice recordings taunting the player. One taunt in particular “Chicken, fight like a robot” would often trigger Newbois’s violence. In 2007 Newbois was receiving therapy for his anger issues and impotence which apparently was exacerbated by a chicken allergy.
Video games have often been the scapegoat for a many violent crimes, but the Gaming Free Press couldn’t find a single instance where a “video game made me do it” defense resulted in a not-guilty verdict. But Newbois left a chilling Craigslist Ad/Suicide note that specifically blamed Berzerk and his family:
“To my dear friends and family, I do not feel any guilt for what I am about to do. I have struggled with my Berzerk addiction for many years and it is time now to put an end to it. My wife and kids never supported me, so they too will need to pay the ultimate price. On several occasions the dogs and cats interrupted my gameplay, so they too suffer with us. For sale I have a mint Berzerk arcade game. The monitor was replaced about 6 years ago and looks as fresh and as crisp as the day it was installed. The art and marquee are all original and in excellent condition. The coin mech works, but you can set the machine to free play if you like. Please, no phone calls after 8pm.”
