WoW

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – A New Mexico woman has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for the death of her young daughter, who withered away from malnutrition and dehydration while the mother spent hours chatting and playing World of Warcraft online.

Rebecca Colleen Christie was sentenced in federal court for her November 2009 conviction on second-degree murder and child abandonment charges, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported.

Prosecutors said 3 1/2-year-old Brandi Wulf gained just a pound and a half in the last year of her life and weighed 23 pounds when Christie called 911 on Jan. 26, 2006, to report her daughter was limp and unconscious.

Christie's ex-husband, U.S. Air Force Sgt. Derek Wulf, pleaded guilty to child neglect and will be sentenced June 15.

He was stationed at Holloman Air Force Base but was away on a nine-day assignment when the girl died. The newspaper reports he had expressed reservations about his wife's ability to take care of their child; her older daughter had already been placed with Christie's parents.

For 15 hours the day the girl died — from noon to 3 a.m. — the computer showed "continuous activity" as her mother chatted with friends from the online fantasy role-playing game, according to court documents.

Wulf told an FBI agent he would regularly come home from work and find his daughter with an empty water glass as his wife was busy "playing on the computer," according to court documents.

The house had an overflowing litter box and pervasive smell of cat urine. And there appeared to be so little food that the child ate cat food, according to the U.S. attorney's office. There also was no PediaSure, police said, which a year prior had been prescribed to the child for digestive problems and frequent diarrhea.

At a sentencing hearing in mid-May before U.S. District Judge Robert Brack, Christie sobbed that she was sorry, the Sun-News reports.

"I'll never get to see her grown up. ... That weighs on my heart. That was my little girl," Christie said slowly, with difficulty, her shoulders hunched and the chains on her wrists shaking. "It was my responsibility to take care of her, and I failed her, and I'm sorry."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110603/ap_o...er_starved

Better or worse than drugs?

Wait what? Why is the ex-husband pleading guilty too? He was off on a military assignment...he had absolutely nothing to do with this, did he?

Wait what? Why is the ex-husband pleading guilty too? He was off on a military assignment...he had absolutely nothing to do with this, did he?

he was free those days and apparently passed to visit a few times, from what i read.

he was free those days and apparently passed to visit a few times, from what i read.

I don't think he'll get hit as hard because he was working.

Thought this had something to do with World of Warcraft..

It does...?

Anyway this is really horrible, she can't get off for a bit to care for her daughter? What has the world come to.

It does...?

Anyway this is really horrible, she can't get off for a bit to care for her daughter? What has the world come to.

Replace WoW with any potentially addictive activity or substance. Story has nothing to do with WoW.

Replace WoW with any potentially addictive activity or substance. Story has nothing to do with WoW.

Plus, not like this hasn't happened a dozen+ times in the past. I remember reading similar cases back during the EQ1 days, and that's over a decade ago!

Replace WoW with any potentially addictive activity or substance. Story has nothing to do with WoW.

Ofcourse WoW has something to do with the story since that is what she was playing.
But WoW is not at fault, people who can not manage their time should simply not have kids. My uncle and his wife both play WoW and they have a kid and they have no problems managing their time and making sure the kid isn't missing anything.

"I'll never get to see her grown up. ... That weighs on my heart. That was my little girl," Christie said slowly, with difficulty, her shoulders hunched and the chains on her wrists shaking. "It was my responsibility to take care of her, and I failed her, and I'm sorry."

pineapple you. You don't feel sorry at all you peach. Lives don't get a second chance.

If this case happened in Thailand, World of Warcraft would be banned for this.

GUYS GUYS. I PLAY WOW. I'M ON IT RIGHT NOW.

But pineapple, I eat except during raid nights.

Wait what? Why is the ex-husband pleading guilty too? He was off on a military assignment...he had absolutely nothing to do with this, did he?

These were my sentiments exactly -___- the husband didn't do squat in the death of his daughter; though i suppose he feels the burden of it because he had the chance to do something and chose not to. He also "knew" that his failure of an ex couldn't manage a child alone and therefore feels bad that he left his daughter with her. But it's entirely the direct fault of the stupid woman who couldn't take care of the kid. This is another reason why some people just shouldn't be parents. EVER.

Honestly, i don't understand why in the divorce the woman got to keep the child. Sounds like the woman was living off child support for her WoW habit and neglecting the child. Clearly the father was the much better choice even though he was an air force officer.

Plus, not like this hasn't happened a dozen+ times in the past. I remember reading similar cases back during the EQ1 days, and that's over a decade ago!

we got a week-long festivity over here, 2 years ago, a woman left her 3 (or less, can't remember)-year-old alone at home to go party 5 hours in car away.

baby was found 3 days later because the neighbors heard it crying.

Better or worse than drugs?

I'm going to go with worse. The person is more at fault here because WoW isn't physically addicting like cigarettes or meth, etc.

Peach was just an idiot that didn't know how to manage her time or care enough for her child.

I'm going to go with worse. The person is more at fault here because WoW isn't physically addicting like cigarettes or meth, etc.

Peach was just an idiot that didn't know how to manage her time or care enough for her child.

MMOs can be more mentally addicting, though. Much more so. Sometimes I forget to refill the water for my cats for a few hours at a time, but they at least come and annoy me when they need something, and on the next quick break I can take I go give them stuff. But yeah, a kid would be way too high maintenance for me; that said, at least I realize this before one dies from neglect, lol.

You're not going to kill people for some time on an MMO like an addict for meth would, I'm aware that games can be "addicting" but as responsibility in your life becomes more practiced, you get over it. This woman was obviously an irresponsible peach that shouldn't have had a child to begin with.

You're not going to kill people for some time on an MMO like an addict for meth would, I'm aware that games can be "addicting" but as responsibility in your life becomes more practiced, you get over it. This woman was obviously an irresponsible peach that shouldn't have had a child to begin with.

People have committed real life violence over MMOs. There's no chemical dependence that accompanies an MMO addiction, but there is just as much of a psychological dependence.

People have committed real life violence over MMOs. There's no chemical dependence that accompanies an MMO addiction, but there is just as much of a psychological dependence.

I'm aware of this but it happens much less frequently though, no? I'm simply saying being addicted to a physical substance is more crippling and harder to control.