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Lawyers Downplay EverQuest Role in Homicide
The game EverQuest was implicated in a Tampa-area homicide, but both the lawyer prosecuting Tony Bragg Sr. and the one defending him are minimizing its role in the circumstances surrounding the death of his son.
Bragg, 25, pled guilty yesterday to aggravated manslaughter and was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for the death of his nine-month old son, Tony Jr. last July.
A St. Petersburg Times story this morning claimed Bragg had assaulted the child and left him to die because he was interfering with Bragg’s enjoyment of the popular online computer game, but lawyers on both sides emphasize EverQuest was a minor factor, at most.
Tampa-area public defender Ken Littman said his client does not blame the game for his crime, or the death of the child, and no attempt was made in the court proceedings to shift any of the blame to Bragg’s admitted obsession with EverQuest. “He blames himself,” the lawyer told the Adrenaline Vault.
Prosecutor Suzanne Rossomondo agreed the game only played a small role. “It had some involvement, but more important was [Bragg’s] temper and lack of patience. His neglect of the child was only brought to a head because of the game."
Littman said his client was “an irresponsible young guy who had this kid thrust upon him.” The child’s mother, who is estranged from Bragg, left the child with him because she had lost electric power in her home.
EverQuest was merely the preoccupation of the moment for Bragg, Littman added, saying it could have just have easily been televised football or any other occupation of men in their twenties, instead. “Bragg is sadly typical of many young people today,” said Littman. “He had children before he was ready to take care of them.”
Rossomondo added Bragg had done more than just play EverQuest on the day of his child’s death: he also had had friends visit. It’s true he played the game a lot, she conceded. “I won’t say every waking moment, but quite a bit.”
Any suggestion that the game could be blamed for this death would be the “dumbest idea I’ve ever heard,” said Littman. “Everybody’s looking to blame something else. I’d only bring that up if I wanted to be laughed out of court.”
The child was found dead by Bragg in the closet where his playpen was kept. Hillsborough County court heard that the child had died of traumatic injuries over 24 hours before Bragg called 911. Bragg denies he was responsible for causing the injuries.
Bragg, who had a prior criminal record, was in the second day of a McDonald’s trainee program when the death occurred. His male housemate, who was away at the time, said the convicted man had recently lost a job at a local Subway after missing too much work due to his EverQuest-playing. The computer he was playing on belonged to the housemate, who was gainfully employed; the same housemate likely also paid for Bragg’s $10-a-month game accounts, Littman said. The young man, who was sharing his three-bedroom house with Bragg, also played the game a lot, he added.
Representatives of Sony Online Entertainment, which runs the game, are declining to comment on the case.
The game EverQuest was implicated in a Tampa-area homicide, but both the lawyer prosecuting Tony Bragg Sr. and the one defending him are minimizing its role in the circumstances surrounding the death of his son.
Bragg, 25, pled guilty yesterday to aggravated manslaughter and was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for the death of his nine-month old son, Tony Jr. last July.
A St. Petersburg Times story this morning claimed Bragg had assaulted the child and left him to die because he was interfering with Bragg’s enjoyment of the popular online computer game, but lawyers on both sides emphasize EverQuest was a minor factor, at most.
Tampa-area public defender Ken Littman said his client does not blame the game for his crime, or the death of the child, and no attempt was made in the court proceedings to shift any of the blame to Bragg’s admitted obsession with EverQuest. “He blames himself,” the lawyer told the Adrenaline Vault.
Prosecutor Suzanne Rossomondo agreed the game only played a small role. “It had some involvement, but more important was [Bragg’s] temper and lack of patience. His neglect of the child was only brought to a head because of the game."
Littman said his client was “an irresponsible young guy who had this kid thrust upon him.” The child’s mother, who is estranged from Bragg, left the child with him because she had lost electric power in her home.
EverQuest was merely the preoccupation of the moment for Bragg, Littman added, saying it could have just have easily been televised football or any other occupation of men in their twenties, instead. “Bragg is sadly typical of many young people today,” said Littman. “He had children before he was ready to take care of them.”
Rossomondo added Bragg had done more than just play EverQuest on the day of his child’s death: he also had had friends visit. It’s true he played the game a lot, she conceded. “I won’t say every waking moment, but quite a bit.”
Any suggestion that the game could be blamed for this death would be the “dumbest idea I’ve ever heard,” said Littman. “Everybody’s looking to blame something else. I’d only bring that up if I wanted to be laughed out of court.”
The child was found dead by Bragg in the closet where his playpen was kept. Hillsborough County court heard that the child had died of traumatic injuries over 24 hours before Bragg called 911. Bragg denies he was responsible for causing the injuries.
Bragg, who had a prior criminal record, was in the second day of a McDonald’s trainee program when the death occurred. His male housemate, who was away at the time, said the convicted man had recently lost a job at a local Subway after missing too much work due to his EverQuest-playing. The computer he was playing on belonged to the housemate, who was gainfully employed; the same housemate likely also paid for Bragg’s $10-a-month game accounts, Littman said. The young man, who was sharing his three-bedroom house with Bragg, also played the game a lot, he added.
Representatives of Sony Online Entertainment, which runs the game, are declining to comment on the case.
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