Mother Alexandra V. Tobias Shakes Baby For Interrupting FarmVille, Pleads Guilty To Murder

On Wednesday, Alexandra V. Tobias pled guilty to second degree murder for shaking her baby to death.

At the time of her arrest in January, 22-year-old Tobias reportedly told police that she was playing FarmVille on Facebook and got angry when the three-month-old Dylan Lee Edmondson began to cry.

According to the Florida Times-Union, "Tobias told investigators that she shook the baby, smoked a cigarette to compose herself and then shook him again. She said the baby may have hit his head during the shaking."

A judge heard Tobias's plea on Wednesday and will issue her sentence at a December hearing. Tobias could face the rest of her life behind bars, the Times-Union reports.

There have been several instances in which authorities believe children suffered due to their parents' unhealthy gaming habits. Earlier this year, a Korean couple was convicted of letting their child starve to death while they raised a virtual baby online. In September, a mother was banned from using computers after she neglected her children and let the family dogs starve because of her "obsession" with a game.

Comments

[mrcontinental]

01:03 AM on 11/03/2010

I've said it once and I will say it again. ALL individuals seeking to procreate should be given psychological testing first to determine suitability for parenthood before being allowed to. Of course if this were done the USA would cease to exist after two generations but sacrifices must be made for the greater good.

[nina rr]

05:01 PM on 11/07/2010

eugenics, anyone?

[tones]

10:48 PM on 11/01/2010

Really over Farmville? Not wow or some other game that involves more than just the clock clicking down? Well the lady we'll get to spend another game were time slowly wears down.

[valluhree]

04:32 AM on 11/01/2010

I still don't even know what FarmVille is.

[AGooglyMinotaur]

10:39 AM on 11/02/2010

Keep it that way! :)

[Marc Wechsler]

11:36 AM on 10/31/2010

The most ironic thing is that this game has a bit under 100 millions users (from what i have read) and yet people won't work on a real farm. Also, for as much as people are afraid of communism, they are willing to work on an online agricultural society where they share their crops and help others grow food.

[Angelus2007]

06:45 PM on 11/01/2010

There is a big difference between a video game and working on a real farm. I kill things with magic and swords and maces while and elf, that doesn't mean I am going to run around with elf ears pretending to orcs and trolls.

[Marc Wechsler]

11:30 PM on 11/03/2010

ok but that is obviously fantasy and something one can't do in real life. Fake farming is idiotic and something you could do for real outside your house or in your neighborhood if you wanted.

[WurrdUp]

05:31 PM on 10/30/2010

Pathetic to say the least. Video game (and any obsessive online) addiction should be taken seriously and studied. When I find myself wasting too much time online, I step away and do something productive. I only make time for HP during my down time.

[Lucy1886]

02:10 PM on 10/30/2010

I'm not defending this terrible person, but I would guess that right about now, she misses her baby. People can have all kinds of contradictory things going on in their heads. She didn't know how to be a parent...there are many, many, many people out there who do the same things. It does take a VILLAGE to raise a child; family, friends, and neighbors need to be aware of situations such as this and not close their eyes.

Those who calmly supported the embargo against Iraq that killed hundreds of thousands of children or who had no problem with planes bombing villages ought to take their/our justifiably upset feeling about this terrible case and realize that just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it isn't happening.

And,no, I'm not defending this "mother"--not at all.

[Mx7777]

05:14 PM on 10/30/2010

"She didn't know how to be a parent."

Yea, neither the first-time parents of the so called "Third World".

For them, this was an hideous crime.

[Charismatron]

11:01 AM on 10/30/2010

I'd rather live on the Dinosaur Ring of Hell fearing for my life at every waking moment than on the same planet as this woman.

[Lucy1886]

02:12 PM on 10/30/2010

We already live on the Dinosaur Ring of Hell, and it gets worse year by year as long as people either remain passive, become bland cheerleaders for the Democrats, or do get active -- but as puppets for the billionaire-backed Tea party-Koch brothers and other conservative causes.

[Danek Greori]

02:16 AM on 10/30/2010

Farmville? Seriously? She should be ashamed, for more reasons than one.

[delano whetstone]

01:54 AM on 10/30/2010

Awe, that's so sad. Rest in Peace, hope to see you next lifetime

[theobserver4]

11:26 PM on 10/29/2010

Man there is nothing worse than stories like these with unworthy parents harming their children. There's nothing else to say......

[JLander]

10:43 PM on 10/29/2010

I thought this was an Onion article when I first gleamed past it. Damn.

[jessicadevyn]

08:08 PM on 10/29/2010

She should never see the light of day. 22 years of age is young but not a child. Women used to marry much younger than that and still be responsible. I am 25 years old and would be offended if someone called me a child. When should adulthood begin? 30, 45? Maybe we should stop infanatalizing people who would have been considered adults in any other society.

As for mental illness I am a veteran when it comes to that. I am bipolar with psychotic elements. I also have borderline personality disorder and anxiety disorder. This is much more destuctive and dangerous than depression of any sort by itself. People with bipolar have a much higher chance of suicide than people with depression alone. I've never been homicidal towards a 3 month old. I am also very familia with addiction. My partner is a former METH, HEROIN, and CRACK user and would never do this. (He is also bipolar). He would NEVER do this and so would most other addicts. So blaming this on mental illness or addiction is a cop out when most addicts and mentally ill people would never do this. You also make it seem like most addicts and mentally ill people are close to homicide which is NOT true. Maybe she is just a sociopath?something that is far beyond even the worst mental illnesses and addictions.

[Ashley Y]

11:25 AM on 10/31/2010

I'm sorry but just a sociopath? Do you not understand that sociopathy is a mental illness, just as is bipolar disorder? I'll give you that sociopathy is what fits her, with the flat affect and apathy, but who are you to say that one mental illness will for sure cause people to be violent while another one won't? Anyone, with or without a mental illness can be capable of horrible, unspeakable violence. You're also right that mental illness should not be the only factor attacked in this equation, but sadly it leads to a lot. Do a little research on mothers who kill, and see just how many you find who are NOT mentally ill or suffering from addiction. We need to implement better resources for these women to get help, not just condemn them. Granted, this woman is too late and may not have benefited from any such help, but we need to use this for other women after her.

[Michell Guzmn Talbot]

05:36 PM on 10/29/2010

One teabagger less to vote.

[Angelus2007]

06:46 PM on 11/01/2010

And you know this how?

[Nindo Mom]

04:41 PM on 10/29/2010

It's highly unlikely that she only shook the baby in one instance--people who respond a certain way--ie, with anger or violence--tend to do it consistently. I agree with Max Shaw that this person clearly has issues.

I do hope people don't start coming down on Facebook or Farmville--they haven't done anything wrong, and certainly not even the most over-the-top conservative (morally, not politically) person can't claim Farmville incites people to violence. No, the blame needs to be where it belongs--on the mother who makes extremely poor choices and is clearly unstable.

[eventguy]

03:43 PM on 10/29/2010

So now I guess Facebook and Farmville will take some of the heat for this? Guns don't kill, online games do!

[Angelus2007]

06:47 PM on 11/01/2010

Waiting for Paul Helmke to come on here and talk about the Farmville loophole.