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A Minnesota woman has been charged with manslaughter after she shot and killed her boyfriend as part of the pair’s attempt to become YouTube celebrities.
According to court documents, Monalisa Perez called 911 on June 26 at around 6:30pm local time to say that she had shot Pedro Ruiz III. The two had set up two video cameras to capture Perez firing the gun at Ruiz while he held a book in front of his chest. Ruiz apparently convinced Perez that the book would stop the bullet from a foot away. The gun, a Desert Eagle .50 caliber pistol, was not hindered by the book.
[...] A video filmed the day before the shooting features Perez excitedly imagining what would happen when the couple reached 300,000 subscribers on their YouTube channel.
According to a Star Tribune report citing a nearby television station in North Dakota, the shooting took place near the couple's home as their three-year-old daughter was nearby. An aunt of Ruiz, who was not named by WDAY-TV, was quoted as saying that she knew what they planned to do and that she tried to talk them out of it.
The aunt said Ruiz replied, "'Because we want more viewers. We want to get famous.'"
Perez, 19, was released on bail on Wednesday. She is pregnant with the couple's second child.
Further details from The New York Times:
Ms. Perez told investigators that she had shot Mr. Ruiz from about a foot away while he held a 1.5-inch thick book to his chest, the authorities said. She described using a firearm that matched the pistol that was found at the scene.
Mr. Ruiz had been “trying to get her” to fire the gun “for a while,” Ms. Perez told investigators, according to court documents. They state that he had set up one camera on the back of a vehicle and another on a ladder to capture the stunt.
To help persuade her to pull the trigger, Mr. Ruiz had even shown Ms. Perez a book that he had previously shot himself, she told investigators. In that case, she said, the bullet had not gone all the way through the text.
See also: CNN.
-- submitted from IRC
(Score: 3, Funny) by AthanasiusKircher on Monday July 03 2017, @02:23PM (15 children)
They should be nominated for a Darwin Award -- unfortunately, it seems they not only have a kid, but another is on the way.
(Score: 2) by fraxinus-tree on Monday July 03 2017, @02:35PM
C. Darwin called. Said everything is OK and nothing to worry about.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Monday July 03 2017, @04:07PM (6 children)
Hoping evolution will throw the good wrench at the kids, and they will be smarter than their 5th grade parents.
Poor kids. Down one parent: or is that a good thing... one less bad example to follow?
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 03 2017, @04:36PM (1 child)
With one parent dead and the other in jail, those kids will be raised by wealthy foster parents who will teach them to obey the rules and accumulate money and exploit the poor for profit. The American Dream is being lucky enough to escape a poor upbringing and be adopted into privilege.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 03 2017, @05:57PM
The American dream is to take up permanent residence in an All-You-Can-Eat joint.
(Score: 3, Informative) by mcgrew on Monday July 03 2017, @06:03PM (3 children)
...and they will be smarter than their 5th grade parents.
Education <> intelligence. I went to college, and all but two PhDs I knew (Half the people I worked with had doctorates) were highly intelligent--but there were two who were total morons. Surely knowledgable in their fields, but not showing any problem solving ability at all. OTOH I know some high school graduates, and one dropout, who are very good at problem solving.
mcgrewbooks.com mcgrew.info nooze.org
(Score: 3, Informative) by KGIII on Monday July 03 2017, @11:15PM (2 children)
This is true. I have a Ph.D. In Applied Mathematics, and I do some stupid shit. Seriously, I'm a fucking moron, at least half the time.
"So long and thanks for all the fish."
(Score: 3, Funny) by krishnoid on Tuesday July 04 2017, @06:07AM
I guess it's a good thing your degree is in *Applied* Mathematics, or we wouldn't even be able to trust that estimate.
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Tuesday July 04 2017, @05:03PM
I'm pretty sure even Einstein had bouts of stupidity.
mcgrewbooks.com mcgrew.info nooze.org
(Score: 5, Insightful) by mcgrew on Monday July 03 2017, @05:58PM (6 children)
The reason I think the "Darwin Award" is so funny is because of something you pointed out--the dead guy had already procreated, and procreation is far more important for evolution than intelligence. In fact, most stupid people live ling enough to have dozens of grandkids.
Now, someone with a high-functioning Asperger's and an IQ to match Einstein's has a hell of a time getting laid. And yes, I'm a father. My youngest is 30 and Phi Bata Capa (which I probably misspelled) at Cincinnati State, while working full-time. But she's having a hard time getting pregnant despite having a healthy boyfriend.
Intelligence has very little to do with evolution.
mcgrewbooks.com mcgrew.info nooze.org
(Score: 2) by maxwell demon on Monday July 03 2017, @07:45PM (3 children)
While I have no idea what it refers to, it sounds like Greek letters, in which case the correct spelling would be "Phi Beta Kappa".
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 3, Informative) by maxwell demon on Monday July 03 2017, @07:48PM
Addendum: With "correct spelling" I of course mean the correct spelling of the English names for the Greek letters. The actual Greek letters would be "ΦΒΚ". Or if lowercase letters are meant, "φβκ".
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 5, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 03 2017, @09:01PM
Yeah well fuck beta.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 03 2017, @09:05PM
it's a university thing, and i think it's short for "fucking before klasses" (in the sense of more important).
(Score: 2) by Arik on Monday July 03 2017, @08:44PM (1 child)
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Tuesday July 04 2017, @05:12PM
Most stupidity and mental retardation isn't hereditary. Fetal alcohol syndrome, lead poisoning... a raft of other non-genetic causes.
mcgrewbooks.com mcgrew.info nooze.org