A Very Serious Topic

Last week on The Smackdown Hotel I received multiple texts wanting me to address a very serious topic that was in the news last week. I did want to bring this up however not during the show as I would more than likely not say what I would like due to time restraints and not being able to think about what I would say.This way I am able to discuss this very serious topic without any real restrictions or problems, so I do apologise for not bringing this up on air last week but I hope you read this and that it will answer any questions you wanted me to address. Firstly for those that don’t know what happened, last week in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana a 13 year old by the name of Devalon (in respect I will leave the family’s last name out) has been charged with second degree murder after killing his 5 year old half-sister Viloude. The suspect was babysitting his sister while his mother was out shopping.According to Col. John Fortunato of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, Devalon said that he started wrestling with the victim and practicing “WWE-style” wrestling moves.According to reports the suspect was slamming, punching and elbowing the victim repeatedly and even though the victim was complaining of being in pain, the suspect continued using these “moves” on her.It was until the mother of the 2 called in to check on them that the suspect stopped and the victim went upstairs after complaining of stomach aches.Half an hour later the 13 year old checked on his sister to find her on the floor, no longer breathing.It was at that point that the suspect contacted the authorities who arrived shortly after, however paramedics were unable to revive her and died shortly after their arrival.The official report states that the victim suffered multiple injuries including broken ribs, internal bleeding and lacerations of the liver causing her deathDetective Matt Vasquez said that the victim admitted to knowing that wrestling is fake, and was smiling when questioned about the wrestling moves. Now then as tragic as this story is there was a lot of attention brought towards the WWE who the suspect had quoted as copying moves from after watching their programming. The WWE released a statement in regards to this incident shortly after it happened; “The death of Viloude Louis is a tragedy and we express our heartfelt condolences. Authorities have already charged the accused with second degree murder and determined that this was not an accidental death due to a wrestling move. The facts of this case clearly point to a lack of parental supervision and a teenager who had a history of violent behavior toward his 5-year-old stepsister. It is illogical to conclude that the repeated, brutal and ultimately fatal beating of a 5-year-old little girl by a teenager could be confused with imitation of WWE action seen on TV.” As for the suspect Devalon, he is currently in a juvenile detention centre in Jefferson Parish where psychiatrists will evaluate the boy to determine if he is mentally able to participate in his own defence. (From here to the rest of the post is my opinion, this is what you wanted me to talk about so please don’t demonise me if you don’t agree with what I say as it is my own personal opinion) Now then before you start pointing fingers at the wrestlers and the company for this incident I want to remind you that the WWE has never encouraged the public to try and imitate what they see in the ring. They release multiple promos with the tagline “Don’t try this at home” and have even released promos with superstars including Daniel Bryan, John Cena, Kofi Kingston and Brodus Clay telling you “do not try this at home” While I don’t want to be “that guy” I have to admit that some of the blame must be put on the parents, they allowed their son to watch people beat each other up on TV when clearly he has something wrong with him (remember he was SMILING when telling reporters how he killed his sister), he also has apparently had a history of violence according to WWE’s report.While researching the report I noticed a lot of people did put the blame on the parents, but for allowing a 13 year old to babysit a 5 year old. Honestly I don’t think that would ever be a problem, throughout my years in high school I remember my friends telling me about how much money they got babysitting for a family friend without any problems over the weekend, and they were around the same age as the suspect in this case.Of course I have to give the majority of the blame to the suspect for even thinking that trying these moves in his sister was a good idea when he clearly has no idea how these moves are performed professionally, and that 5 year olds are not a tough as people twice their age.So while I do put some of the blame on the parents for relying on their son who doesn’t appear to be completely mentally stable, the majority of it has to go to the suspect and not the WWE.  I hope that answers any questions you have for me regarding this subject. At this point I would like to give my sincerest condolences towards the family and anyone affected by this event. If you truly are affected by this or any other event and require any help please contact Lifeline or the Kids Help LineLifeline: 13 11 14Kids help line: 1800 55 1800

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