Online Gaming Death: Mother Claims Her Son Was “Being Groomed And Brainwashed For Something”

Online gaming is being blamed in the death of a 14-year-old boy. According to ABC News, Breck Bendar, 14, was allegedly killed by Lewis Daynes, a 19-year-old computer engineer. Lorin LaFave, mother of Breck, claims that her son was killed by Daynes, whom the boy met while playing online video games.

According to ABC News, LaFave said that her son had been playing online video games with Daynes for several months, and their relationship had thrown up a few different red flags over the months. Daily News stated that LaFave tried a variety of different methods in order to limit and/or end their relationship because she felt that Breck was “being groomed and brainwashed for something.”

The 49-year-old reportedly limited her son’s access to electronics and installed parental controls while banning him from using the same server as Daynes.

“I thought (Daynes) was a 40-year-old fat pedophile,” LaFave told ABC News. “In the back of my mind, I didn’t believe he was who he said he was. I called the police, talked to them for half an hour, and said ‘I feel like my son is being groomed, I don’t know if it’s for gay sexual activity, I don’t know if it’s for terrorist activity… I don’t think Breck was ever scared of things and that’s what kills me.”

Despite all of her efforts, Breck reportedly still went to meet up with Daynes on February 17, a decision that would prove fatal for the young boy. On the day in question, Breck reportedly was supposed to go over to his father’s home to spend the weekend there. LaFave says she received a text from her ex-husband that had said that Breck had never shown up at his father’s home, and from there, things only got more gruesome for the family of the missing boy.

According to ABC News, Brecks’s siblings began receiving messages from friends saying that their 14-year-old brother was dead. LaFave went on to say that Daynes took photos of Breck and had posted them onto social media outlets.

Breck’s body was then discovered by police at Daynes’ home. The boy reportedly suffered from multiple stab wounds and was declared dead shortly after. After Daynes pleaded guilty to the murder, LaFave says she wants to use her experience and her son’s tragic death as a way of spreading awareness of the dangers of online gaming.

“I want Breck’s tragedy to help open the eyes of everyone to recognize the dangers of online predators… it is a very real danger today,” LaFave said in a statement. “As a parent you want to protect your child. I don’t know yet at what point Breck realized ‘oh my god, mom was right.”

LaFave has since created the Breck Bednar Memorial Foundation to promote online awareness for teens and their parents.

[Image via Shutterstock/Mikael Damkier]