Saddam Hanging Blamed in Houston Boy's Accidental Death

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ajc2804

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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.


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,241544,00.html
 
How sad. I'm not sure what to say other than I really wish this little boy hadn't seen that on TV.
 
Another fine example that parents should be careful what they allow their kids to see on TV. The uncle in the article made the statement that it should not have been shown on TV, but where is the responsibility of the parents for monitoring what their kids see?

This is just so sad.....this poor little boy!
 
Little kids really shouldn't watch the evening news. It contains information that is far too frightening and violent. To be honest, I can barely stand tro watch it myself.
 
Yeah the news is rather "violent", but at that age when I was in school we often had to do reports on current events based on tv news and the papers. I don't think 10 & 5th grade is real niaeve, though I think parents should be there and talk to them about such things as well as making sure they know that aside from movies which are make believe, death is final. I think that's where we fail sometimes - we avoid talking about death because it's scary for kids and we want to protect them. With all the violent shows, movies and video games, kids don't always understand the difference between make believe killing and the real thing which is permanent.

One more thing I will add though is most news shows will warn you before showing graphic scenes, and at that point I would have turned it off or sent the kids out immediately. Hell, I don't want to see it myself.
 
Does this strike anybody else as odd? I can understand if the child was 5, but at 10 years old I would think he would have understood this would kill him.

VB
 
why are they sending his body back to guatemala for burial? is their home not here.........?
 
Malapoo--I agree that kids often have to do "current event" homework, which involves watching the news or reading the newspaper. My 11 year old has to read the newspaper on Monday and do a report on a current event article for the next day. I find myself scanning the paper first and then only giving him sections that I don't mind him reading. And I fight with myself internally on that. I find myself really torn when it comes to allowing my children to watch the news or read the paper--or anything controversial for that matter. On one hand, I have protected them from many ugly things that occur in the world--almost to a fault. On the other hand, I believe that knowledge is both powerful and empowering, and I want them to be informed of the realities of the world. Yet I don't want their developing, innocent minds burdened with the very things that burden me about todays world.
It really is an issue that I struggle with.
 
I feel so bad for this poor family! Who would think they'd have to tell their 10 year old not to do this?

I am pretty strict about what they see on TV, but unfortunately it seems that every restaurant we go into (including our own) has 12 TVs on the wall, and at least 2 of them have the news on. Nothing like trying to eat and having that video replayed over and over in front of your kids! It's like brainwashing. Not that I'm saying they shouldn't show it, but it's like after 9/11 when they just had it all on a loop and it got so depressing!

I have asked businesses to change the channel if something really bad is on. Even my optometrist has a big screen TV with CNN on in his waiting room!

I know, I know...I should just cook. That's what my husband says too. But if everyone did that then he'd be out of business, so there!
 
julianne said:
Malapoo--I agree that kids often have to do "current event" homework, which involves watching the news or reading the newspaper. My 11 year old has to read the newspaper on Monday and do a report on a current event article for the next day. I find myself scanning the paper first and then only giving him sections that I don't mind him reading. And I fight with myself internally on that. I find myself really torn when it comes to allowing my children to watch the news or read the paper--or anything controversial for that matter. On one hand, I have protected them from many ugly things that occur in the world--almost to a fault. On the other hand, I believe that knowledge is both powerful and empowering, and I want them to be informed of the realities of the world. Yet I don't want their developing, innocent minds burdened with the very things that burden me about todays world.
It really is an issue that I struggle with.
Click to expand...
When I was in 7th grade and 11 years old (not much older than this boy), one of my classes was called GAWA (Geography and World Affairs) and we had to watch the evening news every night in connection with that class. We would discuss it with our teacher and each other the next day in class and sometimes we would have quizzes. I didn't find it disturbing as much as I found it boring. So at that age I didn't have any trouble "handling" the news.

That said, as an adult, I can't remember the last time I watched or listened to the news. It holds no appeal to me whatsoever. I think in fact it can be toxic. I have no desire to watch people talk and gloat about Saddam's execution ad nauseum, for example. I do read the news - that seems to work better for me.
 
Vegas Bride said:
Does this strike anybody else as odd? I can understand if the child was 5, but at 10 years old I would think he would have understood this would kill him.

VB
Click to expand...

Yes, very odd. When I was 10, every other TV program was a Western. Lots of hangings. And, yes, we played cowboys and hangings.

But I certainly understood what would happen with a real hanging and a real rope.
 
I'm sorry, this may sound weird. But we don't watch TV at our house, so can somebody clarify this for me? Did they actually show the hanging ON TV in the news? Like I said, we don't watch TV, so I don't watch the news, but it seems very shocking and wrong to show something like an execution on TV. I know you can watch it online, but as I don't have any desire to see a person killed, I haven't watched it. I certainly wouldn't let my child watch it online, either.
 
Mr. E said:
I'm sorry, this may sound weird. But we don't watch TV at our house, so can somebody clarify this for me? Did they actually show the hanging ON TV in the news? Like I said, we don't watch TV, so I don't watch the news, but it seems very shocking and wrong to show something like an execution on TV. I know you can watch it online, but as I don't have any desire to see a person killed, I haven't watched it. I certainly wouldn't let my child watch it online, either.
Click to expand...

They showed it up to and including putting the noose around his neck. It was very disturbing, even with the sudden cut at that point. Honestly, I have watched both videos (I know!) and the one on the news with the close up of the noose was much harder for me to watch than the actual hanging video.

Of course, my kids have not seen the online version, and I have limited their access to the news since it happened. Unfortunately we were at our restaurant that evening, and my middle child was reading the ticker about the impending execution. Nothing was going to distract him from that!
 
This is the 1st time I heard this. Guess I need to watch local news for more than the weather. I would have thought a 10yr old should know the danger in what he was doing. But then I don't have a boy that age and all kids are different.
 
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