A Michigan teenager is facing charges after a child in Texas died by suicide during an online game in an incident that took place nearly a year ago, according to police.
The investigation started in January, when deputies responded to a call about a suicide, Montgomery County Precinct 3 Constable Ryan Gable said in a Dec. 8 press release.
Victim Found Dead with Gaming Headset On, Still Online
Investigators entered the home, roughly 30 miles north of Houston, and found the child dead, officials said. They were wearing a gaming headset and appeared to still be online at the time of their death, according to investigators.
Following months of investigation — including interviews with members of an online gaming group spread across the U.S. — charges were brought against a juvenile male living more than 1,000 miles away in Allen Park, Michigan, the release said. Allen Park is about 10 miles southwest of downtown Detroit.
Boy Harassed Victim Till it Pushed Him Over the Edge
According to prosecutor Stuart Hughes with the Montgomery County Attorney's Office, the then 15-year-old suspect harassed the victim to the point it drove him over the edge, as reported by KHOU.
Hughes said the teen admitted in a Montgomery County courtroom last Thursday to convincing the victim to commit suicide and took a plea deal, and pled true to a felony charge of aiding suicide and a misdemeanor charge of harassment causing death.
Prosecutors said the teen suspect will remain on probation until he's 18. Part of the conditions he's ordered to comply with include no online gaming or electronics with internet access and taking a suicide awareness program.
Officials have not publicly identified anyone involved because they are juveniles. "The Montgomery County Precinct 3 Constable's Office takes investigations regarding cyberbullying seriously and will continue to investigate these cases to the fullest extent," the release said.
