Boy hangs himself after watching Saddam

MrBrian

AP
Thu Jan 4, 10:40 AM ET

HOUSTON - Police and family members said a 10-year-old boy who died by hanging himself from a bunk bed was apparently mimicking the execution of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

Sergio Pelico was found dead Sunday in his apartment bedroom in the Houston-area city of Webster, said Webster police Lt. Tom Claunch. Pelico's mother told police he had previously watched a news report on Saddam's death.

"It appears to be accidental," Claunch said. "Our gut reaction is that he was experimenting."

An autopsy of the fifth-grader's body was pending.

Julio Gustavo, Sergio's uncle, said the boy was a happy and curious child.

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."

Clinical psychologist Edward Bischof, of California, said children Sergio's age mimic risky behaviors they see on TV — such as wrestling or extreme sports — without realizing the dangers. He said TV appeared to be the stimulant in Sergio's case.

"I would think maybe this kid is trying something that he thinks fun to act out without having the emotional and psychological maturity to think the thing through before he acts on it," Bischof said.

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.

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

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070104/ap_on_re_us/accidental_hanging

sponger

MrBrian wrote:

Hanging. "They showed them putting the noose around his neck and everything. Why show that on TV?"

Hmmmm....let's see here...how many movies and TV shows can I think of off hand that have shown people with nooses around their necks? How about every cowboy western ever made? How about every period piece ever made?

bovy_j

What a dumb kid.

MrBrian

sponger wrote:

Hmmmm....let's see here...how many movies and TV shows can I think of off hand that have shown people with nooses around their necks? How about every cowboy western ever made? How about every period piece ever made?

Hey dude, I soooo agree with you.
----
Everyone will be blamed expect the parents or the unlce in this case. I do also think that the uncle should've said more than "it was because Saddam was real bad,". Perhaps explain to the child what exactly that was, like when you tell a child not to touch a fire cause it'll hurt.

He was only 10, he's still learning.

anyway, a sad article.

SPEEDY MCCREADY

child made a tragic mistake......

Heatherj43

kids do see awful things all the time on TV, but they know its not real. Saddam's hanging was real.
I think we did not need to see it on TV, period.
For those who may had been curious, they could had just seen it on the internet.

No Fear Of Falling

Yep.. show a boob on TV, theres a national outcry because of the torment which the horrible sight will bring the children. It will influence them to be violent rapists and there will be crazy unprotected sex at every school in the US.

So, millions of tax dollars go into a huge investigation to find the root of that boob, and make sure that the flesh of a womans nipple will never be seen on public tv again, FOR THE SAKE OF THE CHILDREN!

But hanging Saddam? PLAY BY PLAY on EVERY CHANNEL.. its OK, let the kids watch him get the noose wrapped around his neck while masked men scream. They wont even notice. They wont try it. No influence whatsoever.

I really dont understand what the media/government think sometimes, and its sad that it really has come to this.

R.I.P to the little kid who didn't know any better.

sponger

I just don't buy into the whole "he was a happy and curious kid" description. There had to have been something going on there. The article goes on to say that kids experiment with wrestling and stunts and so on, but I think those activities differ greatly from a person being hanged. Television makes wrestling and stunts look fun and harmless. There wasn't anything fun and harmless about the hanging of saddam. It was pretty clear that this guy was going to die and that he was being punished. He wasn't wearing a spandex outfit and he wasn't being cheered on. The kid knew that the people who were hanging him hated him and wanted to see him die.

I'm sure the kid wasn't trying to commit suicide, but I do think he was looking for attention. He probably wanted his parents to walk in and freak out. In other words, I don't think he wanted to "see what it was like".

Collin

A 10-year-old made a hangman's noose?

Anyway, I think they were wrong for showing it on tv but the parents shouldn't have let the kid watch it or at least say more than 'because he was really bad.'

Ahnimus

Collin wrote:

A 10-year-old made a hangman's noose?

Anyway, I think they were wrong for showing it on tv but the parents shouldn't have let the kid watch it or at least say more than 'because he was really bad.'

I knew how to tie a noose when I was 10, or maybe a bit older, I did it all the time. People were worried about me then.

But, it doesn't have to be a perfect noose, it could be a slipknot or anything. People die from auto autoerotic asphyxiation all the time. Reportedly 1000 people annually.

According to wikipedia, victims of hangings often get erections and ejaculate. Interesting, perhaps Saddam had one last thrill.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autoerotic_asphyxiation

Heineken Helen

I read a boy in Pakistan did the same thing - he was only 9 and had the help of his 10 year old sister. I think it's absolutely disgusting showing this on tv. My niece and her friend were watching and I couldn't make them leave the room or didn't have time to turn over before they showed it - there should at least be some kinda warning. We were talking about this at work yesterday and everyone seems to be in agreement.

even flow?

And I thought video games were bad for children. Now real life comes a knocking at their door.

miller8966

What an idiot

jlew24asu

chiefojibwa wrote:

now THAT'S CLASS....calling a 10 year old suicide victim an idiot.

well done sir!

it wasnt a suicide. it was an accident. only idiots make such stupid mistakes

Buru

they should have never showed Saddam's execution
regardless if this kids death is related or not

Children do imitate it's true, but that's where parents teaching should come in, to make sure certain things are not imitated... like trying to fly like superman off a bookcase for example (like my uncle attempted to, but was found out before he succeeded )

miller8966

chiefojibwa wrote:

now THAT'S CLASS....calling a 10 year old suicide victim an idiot.

well done sir!

Well what do you want me to call him....an intellectual?

miller8966

chiefojibwa wrote:

he's a fucking 10 year old, not fully developed mentally. he obviously had some issues going on...yet you just label him an "idiot". it's fucking disgusting....have a heart! a child is dead (i bet you'd be upset if it was a fucking fetus!)

unless the fetus commits martydom by hanging itself on the imbilicle chord.....i see no correlation.

chopitdown

there's no reason for the execution (or any execution for that matter) to have been televised or broadcast on the internet. If you're interested in seeing it, go over to Iraq and watch it.

It's terrible that the kid tried this and found out it worked.

exhausted

martydom?

even flow?

miller8966 wrote:

unless the fetus commits martydom by hanging itself on the imbilicle chord.....i see no correlation.

boxwine_in_hell

sponger wrote:

Hmmmm....let's see here...how many movies and TV shows can I think of off hand that have shown people with nooses around their necks? How about every cowboy western ever made? How about every period piece ever made?

Remember the Clint Eastwood classic "Hang Em High"? Pretty much a whole movie devoted around a hanging.