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Texas teen makes violent joke during video game, is jailed for months

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Texas teen makes violent joke during video game, is jailed for months

In February, Justin Carter was playing “League of Legends” — an online, multiplayer fantasy game — when another player wrote a comment calling him insane. Carter’s response, which he now deeply regrets, was intended as joke.

“He replied ‘Oh yeah, I’m real messed up in the head, I’m going to go shoot up a school full of kids and eat their still, beating hearts,’ and the next two lines were lol and jk,” said Jack Carter, Justin’s father, in a statement to a local news channel.

The statements “lol” and “jk” — meaning “laughing out loud” and “just kidding” — indicate that Justin’s statement was entirely sarcastic, said his father.

But a Canadian woman who saw the post looked up Carter’s Austin address, determined that it was near an elementary school, and called the police. Carter was arrested one month later, and has been in jail ever since. He recently celebrated his 19th birthday behind bars.

Authorities charged him with making a terrorist threat. If convicted, he will face eight years in prison.

“These people are serious. They really want my son to go away to jail for a sarcastic comment that he made,” said the elder Carter.

Authorities noted that recent school shootings like the one in Newtown, Connecticut have caused them to evaluate all potential threats seriously. Newtown was still fresh in their minds at the time of Carter’s arrest.

“In light of recent situations, statements such as the one Justin made are taken seriously,” said an Austin police detective in a statement.

Carter’s father said his son didn’t follow the news at all.

“Justin was the kind of kid who didn’t read the newspaper,” said Jack Carter. “He didn’t watch television. He wasn’t aware of current events. These kids, they don’t realize what they’re doing. They don’t understand the implications. They don’t understand.”

Carter’s parents have launched a change.org petition to convince Texas Attorney General Greg Abbot to release their son.

“Release Justin Carter from jail,” the petition reads. “Too many teenagers are being arrested, jailed and having their lives forever altered because of anti-terrorism laws and investigations that impede their 1st Amendment right to freedom of speech.”

A hearing to review Carter’s case is scheduled for July 1.
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http://dailycaller.com/2013/06/27/t...-joke-during-video-game-is-jailed-for-months/
 
I don't understand where the rights and freedoms are going these days.

I said a lot of stupid shit when I was a teenager in MMOs, good lord knows half or more of us should be on trial according to this.
 
I'm going to go shoot up a kennel full of puppies and breathe their still stinky farts.

COME AT ME CANADIAN WOMEN
 
LoL indeed.

“Justin was the kind of kid who didn’t read the newspaper,” said Jack Carter. “He didn’t watch television. He wasn’t aware of current events. These kids, they don’t realize what they’re doing. They don’t understand the implications. They don’t understand.”
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Well how about, as his parents, you help him understand.
 
On one hand I'm thinking you can't be joking about shooting up schools because people actually do things like that and we can't afford to take things as jokes. On the other hand I'm thinking he typed this in a video game and said he was joking right after. I'm not sure if he should have been jailed.

Such a fine line.
 
This is unfortunately what happens in the kind of mass-murder climate we have in the United States. Particularly in a gun-ownership friendly state like Texas.
 
What a messed up world we live in, obviously if he was serious he should be behind bars, but people should be able to tell that he had no intent to actually commit such a crime.
 
Very dumb comment to make considering recent events. But examining the facts and his circumstances should have taken days or maybe weeks. The fact that he's languishing in jail and facing 8 years is absurd.

Assuming of course that they didn't find anything else suspect.
 
Wh0 N0se said:
It's kind of ridiculous but why make a comment like that in the first place?
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Because he's a teenage in a competitive gaming environment where dumb shit is said daily.

I wouldn't be surprised that for something I did when I was a teenager would allow me to be charged with, "Identity Theft and fraud" in these times.

What did I do? Pretended to be a girl from Geocities and aquired a robe.

We all do stupid shit.
 
It was tasteless of Jack to say, but even further foolish that my state government deemed this necessary. If he does get the eight years, what does it mean for other words? It can only escalate.

I challenge Greg Abbot to a race. The boy goes free if I win.
 
That's pretty messed up. I kinda feel bad for the kid, but seriously he could have said anything else other then that. Even though it was a stupid comment, 8 years in prison is a little much.

This is worst then that story I saw where a kid got arrested for drawing swords in class.
 
TommyT said:
LoL indeed.



Well how about, as his parents, you help him understand.
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Sounds like this "Kid" was 18 when he said it. And who hasn't heard of the shootings and stuff. Even if he didn't read news or see it on tv according to his dad, I have a hard time believing he didn't hear of it.... I'm not sure he should be jailed but the kid is pretty fucking stupid to make those statements either way.
 
Justin WAS the kinda kid...

Was?

That is a poor choice of words lol.

I understand why the popo have to take it seriously, but considering evidence it was simply a joke, it's a shame for the lad it has gone so far.
 
we.are.the.armada said:
People should be held accountable for the horrible and insensitive things they say.
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You think a kid should go to jail for 8 years because of a sarcastic, poor taste comment he made that, I promise you, people make every single day in competitive games or MMOs?

If you honestly think that, then you need to be held accountable for the horrible and insensitive things you say.
 
Ridiculous amount of people turning this around on the kid.

What the fuck? Who gives a shit what he said? It's fucking criminal and disgusting that he's been in jail for almost six months because of this.
 
Obviously that comment was beyond tasteless no matter how many jk or lols you put after it but 8 fucking years in prison? His life would be destroyed over a comment in an online game.. excessive is an understatement here.
 
That comment was really shocking and I can see why people would be concerned.
I think that his comment should have consequences, but not like this. Make him do community service for a few weeks and maybe a psychiatrist if they still doubt him, but jail time? Too harsh.
 
shampoowarrior said:
Ridiculous amount of people turning this around on the kid.

What the fuck? Who gives a shit what he said? It's fucking criminal and disgusting that he's been in jail for almost six months because of this.
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He made a declaration of shooting up a school, in a country that has a problem, with people shooting up schools.

.......

Kinda obvious why they took it seriously.
 
JWong said:
They're turning him into a criminal if they keep up this attitude.
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He's already a criminal. Making a terroristic threat is a criminal act. You can't threaten to do something illegal and expect to be able to cover your tracks by saying "lol jk".
 
This is fucked up and wrong. The number of times I've been told that I was going to "be raped" in a game is beyond count.

rjc571 said:
He's already a criminal. Making a terroristic threat is a criminal act. You can't threaten to do something illegal and expect to be able to cover your tracks by saying "lol jk".
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This is bull shit. We have to use some common sense when labelling somebody a potential terrorist, and typing something in a videogame does not make you a terrorist and does not make a terroristic threat. The number of things I've typed or seen typed in my lifetime in Counter Strike, threats of killing hostages, threats of murdering everybody on the other team, threats of shooting somebody with a glock. This does not make me (or anybody) a terrorist or somebody who is making terroristic threats.
 
I think this is the original source. It says his post was on Facebook, and the woman looked up his address through Google.
 
While I agree that people should be held accountable for what they say, the 8 year prison sentence is a bit much.

Aren't US prisons crowded enough?
 
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