haven't seen this movie, but feel that using any movie as an excuse to commit murder is a little far fetched.
'The Matrix' and murder
Psychos reeled in by film
By ROBERT INGRASSIA
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Although millions of moviegoers find the "Matrix" movies harmless escapism, the dark thrillers may be fueling deadly delusions in some tormented souls.
Last week's release of "The Matrix Reloaded" brought back a fantasy vision in which humans are controlled by computers, trapped in an alternate reality known as the matrix. But several accused killers allegedly have cited the influence of the surreal plot line, introduced in 1999's "The Matrix":
A Virginia boy obsessed with "The Matrix" allegedly gunned down his parents in the family basement.
A deranged college student in California who believed he was ensnared in the matrix was charged with dismembering his landlord.
A mentally ill Ohio woman who was accused of murdering her friend used "The Matrix" to describe her delusional world.
The teenager charged in the Washington-area sniper attacks spoke of his love of the movie and wrote notes about being freed from the matrix.
Some criminal psychologists say certain deranged people could find justification for their violent impulses in the movies' mind-bending theme.
"Someone who is already psychotic could use 'The Matrix' as evidence of an alternate reality," said Dr. John Kennedy, director of the Institute for Psychiatry & Law at the University of Cincinnati. "But even if 'The Matrix' never came out, they would have found something else, like the CIA or aliens."
Two accused killers who cited "The Matrix" in their confessions were found not guilty by reason of insanity. A lawyer for the teenager accused of killing his parents is considering an insanity plea.
In April 2000, Vadim Mieseges, a 27-year-old student at San Francisco State University, chopped up his landlord. Mieseges, who had a history of mental illness, told cops he thought he'd been "sucked into the matrix." Last fall, a judge sent him to a mental hospital.
In July, Tonda Lynn Ansley, 37, shot a professor in Butler County, Ohio. She told cops she was living in an alternate reality similar to "The Matrix." Last week, a judge found her not guilty by reason of insanity.
"Maybe in her mind she thought the matrix was real, because that's the way she explained what was going on in her mind," said Melynda Cook-Reich, Ansley's lawyer. "But she was really just using the movie to explain that her delusions were similar to 'The Matrix.'"
The "Matrix" defense may be replayed in the upcoming trial of Joshua Cooke, 19, accused of slaying his parents in February in Fairfax County, Va.
His attorney, Rachel Fierro, noted the teen's obsession with "The Matrix" - he dressed like the main character and had movie posters in his room - as evidence of his possible insanity.
"I'm not saying the movie made him kill his parents," Fierro said. "But we believe there is substantial evidence that he didn't understand the difference between right and wrong."
Accused sniper Lee Malvo doodled "Matrix" references on a jailhouse form, writing "Free yourself of the matrix" and "You are a slave to the matrix 'control,'" The Washington Post reported.
In 1999, some drew parallels to the film when Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 fellow students, a teacher and then themselves at Colorado's Columbine High School 20 days after "The Matrix" opened.
But Warner Bros., the studio behind the "Matrix" films, said there is no connection between the movies and murder. "Any attempt to link these crimes with a motion picture or any other art form is disturbing and irresponsible," the studio said.
'The Matrix' and murder
Psychos reeled in by film
By ROBERT INGRASSIA
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Although millions of moviegoers find the "Matrix" movies harmless escapism, the dark thrillers may be fueling deadly delusions in some tormented souls.
Last week's release of "The Matrix Reloaded" brought back a fantasy vision in which humans are controlled by computers, trapped in an alternate reality known as the matrix. But several accused killers allegedly have cited the influence of the surreal plot line, introduced in 1999's "The Matrix":
A Virginia boy obsessed with "The Matrix" allegedly gunned down his parents in the family basement.
A deranged college student in California who believed he was ensnared in the matrix was charged with dismembering his landlord.
A mentally ill Ohio woman who was accused of murdering her friend used "The Matrix" to describe her delusional world.
The teenager charged in the Washington-area sniper attacks spoke of his love of the movie and wrote notes about being freed from the matrix.
Some criminal psychologists say certain deranged people could find justification for their violent impulses in the movies' mind-bending theme.
"Someone who is already psychotic could use 'The Matrix' as evidence of an alternate reality," said Dr. John Kennedy, director of the Institute for Psychiatry & Law at the University of Cincinnati. "But even if 'The Matrix' never came out, they would have found something else, like the CIA or aliens."
Two accused killers who cited "The Matrix" in their confessions were found not guilty by reason of insanity. A lawyer for the teenager accused of killing his parents is considering an insanity plea.
In April 2000, Vadim Mieseges, a 27-year-old student at San Francisco State University, chopped up his landlord. Mieseges, who had a history of mental illness, told cops he thought he'd been "sucked into the matrix." Last fall, a judge sent him to a mental hospital.
In July, Tonda Lynn Ansley, 37, shot a professor in Butler County, Ohio. She told cops she was living in an alternate reality similar to "The Matrix." Last week, a judge found her not guilty by reason of insanity.
"Maybe in her mind she thought the matrix was real, because that's the way she explained what was going on in her mind," said Melynda Cook-Reich, Ansley's lawyer. "But she was really just using the movie to explain that her delusions were similar to 'The Matrix.'"
The "Matrix" defense may be replayed in the upcoming trial of Joshua Cooke, 19, accused of slaying his parents in February in Fairfax County, Va.
His attorney, Rachel Fierro, noted the teen's obsession with "The Matrix" - he dressed like the main character and had movie posters in his room - as evidence of his possible insanity.
"I'm not saying the movie made him kill his parents," Fierro said. "But we believe there is substantial evidence that he didn't understand the difference between right and wrong."
Accused sniper Lee Malvo doodled "Matrix" references on a jailhouse form, writing "Free yourself of the matrix" and "You are a slave to the matrix 'control,'" The Washington Post reported.
In 1999, some drew parallels to the film when Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 fellow students, a teacher and then themselves at Colorado's Columbine High School 20 days after "The Matrix" opened.
But Warner Bros., the studio behind the "Matrix" films, said there is no connection between the movies and murder. "Any attempt to link these crimes with a motion picture or any other art form is disturbing and irresponsible," the studio said.
