Saddam Hanging Blamed in Houston Boy's Accidental Death

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http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,241544,00.html




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."

Sergio's mother, Sara Pelico DeLeon, was at work Sunday while Sergio and other children were under the care of an uncle, Gustavo said. One of the children found Sergio's body in his bedroom.

Police said the boy had tied a slipknot around his neck while on a bunk bed. Police investigators learned that Sergio had been upset about not getting a Christmas gift from his father, but they don't believe the boy intentionally killed himself.

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?"
 
"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?"

I smell a law suit coming.....
 
A perfect case for censorship of the media. Even if it saves just one life. After all, "It's for the children".

Truly sad though.
 
Oh, for crissake - the kid was probably playing the choking game and it had nothing whatsoever to do with Saddam's hanging. People are always looking for an excuse, a reason to blame - when it's just their kid doing what other kids are doing. Don't get me wrong, I feel sorry for the family, but stop trying to blame something that happened thousands of miles away, and late at night for us, for that matter - what's that kid doing watching crap on the internet, anyways? [rolleyes]
 
what's that kid doing watching crap on the internet, anyways? [rolleyes]
Good point. Along with censoring the media, children under 21 should not be allowed to use the internet unless accompanied by a properly licensed adult. All computers should have a card reader and all users licensed. The card would need to be swiped before anyone could log on.
 
I remember the good old days when self-inflicted injuries and injuries to others
used to be blamed on watching the 3 Stooges. [thinking]
 
Let's see. Shit-for-brain parents and relatives leave kid unsupervised. But it's someone else's fault.

How much does anyone want to bet me that the uncle who was supposed to be in charge was doing everything EXCEPT supervising the kids?
 
Good point. Along with censoring the media, children under 21 should not be allowed to use the internet unless accompanied by a properly licensed adult. All computers should have a card reader and all users licensed. The card would need to be swiped before anyone could log on.
Not stretching the point too far, are ya, Jon?

That isn't at all what I meant. A fifth grader doesn't need to be seeing that video, at least in my house he wouldn't. As a matter of fact when my younger son was in the fifth grade we had the computer here in the house and it was and is now in a public area. I knew what they were doing on it at all times. So go ahead and make fun of me, my kids turned out well, and that's what counts. [thinking]
 
Sorry, Ann. I was just being sarcastic and it wasn't meant towards your post at all. I was trying to make a point about how the Second can be torn apart but God forbid if anyone tries to go after the First.
 
Ok, I'll go there. Any kid who has that little a grasp on the consequences of his actions should be taken out of the population, and the gene pool, quickly; before he becomes an adult.

My far younger daughter seems to already grasp the concepts of "if I do this, it hurts. Don't do it again".
 
"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?"

I smell a law suit coming.....

[rolleyes]

Great. Let 'em sue Saddam for dying in a manner that encourages stupid kids to imitate him.

Obviously, we need to license TV's - and you need an LTWTV-A All Lawful Purposes to watch the news.
 
When I was a kid, I watched Westerns and there were hangings on TV all the time, and they showed ALL of it, not some sanitized version. Likewise I recall seeing shows where they showed guillotining and then held the heads up for all to see (these were probably old movies as well).

For some reason, I knew enough NOT to try those techniques out myself!

For Ann: Regular TV played the "official tape" of Saddam being prep'd (noose put around his neck) over and over again as "News" for a few days. This included Fox, which later played some of the cell phone video as well.

Sorry, I agree that this kid was too stupid to live!
 
When I was a kid, I watched Westerns and there were hangings on TV all the time, and they showed ALL of it, not some sanitized version. Likewise I recall seeing shows where they showed guillotining and then held the heads up for all to see (these were probably old movies as well).

For some reason, I knew enough NOT to try those techniques out myself!

For Ann: Regular TV played the "official tape" of Saddam being prep'd (noose put around his neck) over and over again as "News" for a few days. This included Fox, which later played some of the cell phone video as well.

Sorry, I agree that this kid was too stupid to live!
I hadn't seen anyone else say that, Len, and I hope you don't say that out loud very often - the choking game is a very real problem nowadays. Too stupid, or too adventuresome? That's a pretty harsh judgement you made. [hmmm]

As for the regular TV, yes, I saw that. I'm not passing judgement on the showing, I'm saying that people should monitor what their children watch more closely. If this child were better supervised he might be alive today. It's a fulltime job, I've done it.

And please don't bother with a point by point rebuttal. It's a sad situation that no one should have to go through. I know a couple who did, it's excruciating.
 
I hadn't seen anyone else say that, Len, and I hope you don't say that out loud very often - the choking game is a very real problem nowadays.
Ann, every time I think nah, I'm not old, I'm just a big kid, someone comes out with something like this that kids today are doing.

All I can say is that I don't remember being that stupid when I was a kid.
 
Ann,

No point by point rebuttal.

I agree that it is tragic for the Family!

I also know that it is IMPOSSIBLE to keep your eyes on the kids full time at all times . . . and if there are more than 1 kid to watch . . . again they could be in different rooms, etc. It only takes a few seconds for a kid to get into trouble . . . just turn your head and disaster can strike! [I witnessed this first hand in St. Maarten when a woman maybe 6' from me just turned around for a second and her toddler fell in the pool face down. She was in the water at the pool's edge (kiddie side only 3-4' deep). It took me what seemed like 15 seconds to realize what had just happened as she then grabbed the kid and put the child on the edge of the pool, pressed on the sternum and the kid spit up water and started to cry!]

You have to start training kids as toddlers! By the age of 10 they should know enough not to do such stupid things that could kill them.
 
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