Xbox rage child killer convicted of third-degree murder
Tyrone Spellman was found guilty yesterday of third-degree murder for killing his 17-month-old daughter in 2006 after she knocked over his Xbox. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports the jury reached the verdict after eight hours, adding that Spellman faces 23.5 to 47 years in prison. He has three prior drug convictions.Apparently, after impulsively beating his daughter to death, Spellman propped the dead child by some barbells in order to mask the death as an accident in the eyes of arriving EMTs. In a post-verdict conversation, Prosecutor James Berardinelli was told by the forewoman that the jury believed Spellman acted "in a rage" but didn't mean to kill the child.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
RobLink @ Jan 30th 2008 3:35PM
"In a post-verdict conversation, Prosecutor James Berardinelli was told by the forewoman that the jury believed Spellman acted "in a rage" but didn't mean to kill the child."
Regardless of whether he meant to kill her (would you ever actually mean to?), he should still be locked up. There's absolutely no excuse for what he did, and he deserves everything he gets.
Vol @ Jan 30th 2008 3:44PM
That's horrible what happened and inexcusable. Lock him up.
But on a lighter note:
Would that have happened if it was a PS3 with no value other than collecting dust? Would he have been so raged?
eugene @ Jan 30th 2008 3:47PM
@ Vol,
You're a sick, sad little fuck. Wrong time and wrong article to be flame bating you sad little troll.
HighFiveJesus @ Jan 30th 2008 3:54PM
Wouldn't have even happened then. In case you haven't noticed, almost all of the bad crimes or tragedies, be it fire, murder, or rape, over the last few years had an xbox involved. save a life, get a ps3, not the other way around.
See, i can do it too. ps, wrong time, wrong place.
xFenixKnightx @ Jan 30th 2008 3:56PM
Vol
-100, you should have 3 empty little hearts next to your retarded ass comment.
naxe @ Jan 30th 2008 4:06PM
@vol
was that really necessary? our flame wars are for fun. to poke fun at eachother for buying what we think is inferior. but your comment was totally uncalled for. your the reason the politicians think our (gaming) community is composed of cruel heartless robots that have no regard for human life. a little girl is dead and you want to push your choice of a console?! i hope you werent serious.
: ( god bless
Jerk Face @ Jan 30th 2008 3:35PM
Serves him right, the dick bag.
Chase @ Jan 30th 2008 9:14PM
If you rearrange some times in your statement you get what I'm thinking, "Sever his dick, put it in a bag, and sew it loosely to his right testicle." Jury, sometimes a guy-who-beats-his-daughter-to-death is just a guy-who-beats-his-daughter-to-death. It's unbelievable how they figured "in a rage" was a proper excuse. I'd like to beat them to death and see if their families excuse my behavior because I was just "in a rage." -_-;
Shagittarius @ Jan 30th 2008 3:35PM
Anyone to kill over an object, deserves to be put away no matter what object it is. This man is despicable and should have been put to death.
Worst Review Ever @ Jan 30th 2008 3:37PM
Amen, brother man.
FOXHOUND @ Jan 30th 2008 3:42PM
+1. Couldn't have said it better myself.
Mr.ESC @ Jan 30th 2008 3:59PM
That's the smartest comment you have ever post.
Cyro @ Jan 30th 2008 4:32PM
The man is a monster and God have mercy on his soul for what he did.
Ted @ Jan 30th 2008 5:39PM
No state should have the right to put its own citizens to death.
But yeah, that guy is an asshole.
Obie @ Jan 30th 2008 6:09PM
Here here.
Matthew Hilario @ Jan 30th 2008 7:33PM
What about the Holy Grail?
driven2sin @ Jan 30th 2008 9:41PM
does oil count?
Intentless @ Jan 30th 2008 3:42PM
There is never any reason to harm one of your blood let alone the fruit of thine loom..... Death would be too good for one such as him...
Intentless @ Jan 30th 2008 3:58PM
loom... loins... DAMN Commericialism.....
Anticrawl @ Jan 30th 2008 4:12PM
"fruit of thine loom"? That's the underware Jesus wore.
On another note I hope the court finds him personally responsible for his actions and prosecute him to the full extent of the law.
Anticrawl @ Jan 30th 2008 4:17PM
Scratch that, looks like they already did. Always quick to jump into the comments section. 47 years though sounds like he got off easy. In any case as soon has his fellow prisoners find out what he did they'll be sure to take care of him for us. Child molestation and killing doesn't go over well even with the badest of bad in prison.
d3rr1ck64 @ Jan 30th 2008 4:50PM
How the hell does he not get life for that?
Donald @ Jan 30th 2008 8:14PM
He killed a kid. He won't survive, hopefully.
Jonny @ Jan 31st 2008 1:51PM
LOL @ Fruit of thine Loom
Horrible story though... :(
Hamza @ Jan 30th 2008 3:45PM
17 months? wow
eugene @ Jan 30th 2008 3:49PM
This is insane. It's harder to get a dog from the pound than it is to pump out a kid. This guy has three prior drug convictions and he's allowed to have kids?
HighFiveJesus @ Jan 30th 2008 3:50PM
Shame it took a year to get this verdict, but so be it. It was just ghost recon and an xbox. whoopdee doo, mr. tyrone.
Rich @ Jan 30th 2008 3:54PM
As a parent, this just sickens me.
"..put him in jail till he rots. No, check that...put him in jail till the jail rots on top of him, then move him to a new jail and let that jail rot.."
Intentless @ Jan 30th 2008 3:57PM
As a human or living entity this should sicken you... Nothing personal just saying for others that if this doesn't give a moment of pause you need to reevaluate your life...
J @ Jan 30th 2008 3:55PM
I don't believe in Capital Punishment, but...
RDX @ Jan 30th 2008 3:56PM
I really wish nature just knew who wasn't deserving of children and promptly made them sterile. Stuff like this makes me sick. Disgusting.
Manvir (El Homer) @ Jan 30th 2008 3:57PM
How did it take the Jury 8 hours to get a verdict on that?
Doom3killer @ Jan 30th 2008 4:00PM
simple they played WoW and halo for the first 7 hours and 59 minutes...
anyway, glad i hoped the sentence would be longer (more then a lifetime sentence)
NATO_Duke @ Jan 30th 2008 3:58PM
More reason to hope there is a hell.
KayRazy Ken Kutaragi @ Jan 30th 2008 4:34PM
You sir are a jackass. You hope there is a Hell? Frack you dude, that is almost as fracked up as this asshole.
Knight Marquise @ Jan 30th 2008 4:38PM
Amen.
Knight Marquise @ Jan 30th 2008 4:40PM
Krazy Ken...
I'm a father of 5, and this dirt bag does deserve to rot in Hell.
btw...the "Amen" was for Nato's comment.
NATO_Duke @ Jan 30th 2008 4:57PM
KayRazy Ken Kutaragi - you are simply a griefer. An asshat who is generally disliked by many, yet unable to see it because you love yourself so much.
You're mad because I called you out in other posts over your self praise. Its so damn obvious. All you do is look to be a dick or go on and on about the great and mighty PS3...and the great and mighty KayRazy Ken Kutaragi. Both of which you highly over estimate the importance of.
RobLink @ Jan 30th 2008 5:53PM
So Ken, you hope this guy ends up anywhere else? Think he deserves to go anywhere else?
Are you a parent at all?
Raikage (Wii FC 5508 0487 4434 0992) @ Jan 30th 2008 9:42PM
The opposite of life is death, there is no "hell".
Of course he deserves everything he has coming...
d-pad @ Jan 31st 2008 9:34AM
Ignore Krazy Ken.
Godisamyth/FSM/Hardgay/Killjebus - all the same guy. He's left this site several times after being exposed as a little trolling turd.
Why joystiq hasn't banned his fucking IP address is beyond me.
Sonyfanboyssuck (ROFL SUCH A CLEVER NAME!!!111oneone!!!1) @ Feb 2nd 2008 11:43AM
He's probably using different IP addresses for each account.
Warlord @ Jan 30th 2008 4:01PM
I feel for him. anyone that had to send their Xbox in for repairs would be mad at whatever broke it (3 weeks and it's still not back).
Intentless @ Jan 30th 2008 4:03PM
As stated before causing physical harm over something like an Xbox is wrong regardless of the situation so you just need to go someplace else....
Warlord @ Jan 30th 2008 4:13PM
Ah yes, a lack of humor. wonderful.
While I by no means condone what he did, I used it to take a jab at the "speed" of MS's xbox fixing process.
Vegnagun bwf @ Jan 30th 2008 4:16PM
Wrong time, wrong place, warlord.
RomeoDude @ Jan 30th 2008 4:23PM
Sorry Warlord... Most normal people just don't find a 17 month old child being beaten funny.
Warlord @ Jan 30th 2008 4:23PM
Life sucks. We get it. No need to be surprised at the stupidity of some people. No need to be shocked. There are worse things out there, there are better things out there. Either sit there crying, or just live on with it. Don't bring others down too.
Intentless @ Jan 30th 2008 4:44PM
Dude, I like to think that I can be a pretty funny, sarcastic, ironic, sadistic, bastard, ass and any of the other related terms. Hell it wouldn't be the first or last time I was called a horrible monster...
But I have respect and you never disrespect the dead and above all the death of an innocent.
If I can see that...
Warlord @ Jan 30th 2008 5:10PM
I certainly do not disrespect the dead, let alone the innocent. What he did is horrible, should at least understand his reasoning. It would make you angry. You may not admit it, or you may not get as angry as he obviously did, but it happens.
But when it happens, and you then do an unthinkable thing as harming another, let alone killing, sure. punish him. 17 months is too soft for what he did. Eye for an eye, he should certainly not get to live after it.
I'm sorry I attempted to liven up the place with a joke aimed at someone else. But I'm also sad that people refuse to see the lighter side at any one time.