Gangster voices told me to kill an African woman

This month saw the trial of 17-year-old, Ezekiel Maxwell, a known schizophrenic and drug addict who pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility for the murder of 51-year-old grandmother, Carmelita Tulloch. Ezekiel attacked the receptionist on 5 September 2006 in Kennington, South London as she was on her way to work. He slashed her throat before stabbing her seven times in what was described as a ‘frenzied manner’. He later handed himself in to the police whilst clutching a bloodstained knife.

Speaking about his wife, Prince Tulloch, 42 said; “There was so much to love about Carmelita. She was my wife, my friend, my lover - she was everything to me. We discussed everything. We spoke on the phone constantly. I can't get what has happened into my brain… She was a loving person who never troubled anyone. I've been torn apart. I will never get over this. I wish whoever did this to Carmelita had done it to me instead. I wish I could see her one more time and just hold her.”

Despite being prescribed anti-psychotic drugs, Ezekiel told the court that ‘gangster voices’ in his head from the violent computer game, Grand Theft Auto, had told him to stab a woman and that the woman “had to be a black Afro-Caribbean woman”. The case has raised serious questions about the level of the care he received combined with the psychological effects of prolonged exposure to intense violent media and the heavy use of drugs.

Violent video games such as the best selling Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas actively promote the onscreen murder of African people with some academics labelling these types of games “murder simulators”. A debate held by the Black Music Congress called “To What Extent Does Music Influence Behaviour” successfully challenged the notion that violent media is harmless. Similarly, the editorial column in the April 2007 edition of the New Scientist magazine states “the issue is no longer whether there is effect [from repeated exposure to on screen violence], but what it means to each one of us, and how much we care. Like cigarette smoke, screen violence will not kill us all… [but random violence against strangers are] aggressive acts which studies have shown are more likely after repeated exposure to on-screen violence; the impact is not limited to assault and murder. It seems inappropriate to keep calling this harmless entertainment”.