He maybe accused of double murder, but James Christopher Stitt knows a good mitigation when he sees one. Accused of murdering two of his housemates - George Katsigiannis and Jenna Bologna - in February 2005, Stitt said he was 'playing Grand Theft Auto until 4am on the day of the murder".

That's Grand Theft Auto in 2005.

Here's what else the defence produced according to Fay Observer newspaper:

"Stitt was separated from one or both of his parents through most of his youth. He struggled in school — having to repeat several grades — and got in trouble for angry outbursts with teachers and students. He dropped out, around age 15, in the eighth grade.

"Stitt’s father kicked him out around age 15 or 16 because he had been stealing from family members.

"(Psychologist Dr Moira) Artigues testified that Stitt could be diagnosed with disrupted attachment disorder and childhood trauma disorder. People with these disorders have flawed development in parts of their brains, she said, which makes it hard for them to control their emotions, control their impulses or foresee the consequences of their actions.

"Stitt does well in structured environments with limited stimulation, such as prison."

Now, here's the headline from the paper: 'Killer Stitt was immersed in video game'.

Dr Artigues (' the last witness Stitt’s lawyers put on the stand Tuesday in their bid to save him from execution') actually, "did not suggest that there was a connection between the video game and the murders".

Not good enough for the mainstream media, which feels the need to add, "Critics of the Grand Theft Auto video game series — in which the player assumes the role of a violent criminal — allege that extensive game-play can contribute to real-life violent behaviour."

The real zinger is, however, than in earlier testimony (e.g. prior to the hyped release of GTA IV) Stitt, "told a different story in which Grand Theft Auto wasn’t mentioned".

^{Source... if you really must... The Fay Observer}