Murdered His Mum Over A Video Game? The Tragic Case Of Gretchen Crooks

On the evening of March 24th, 2012, a 911 call came in from a quiet stretch of rural Iowa. On the other end of the line was a 13-year-old boy. He told the dispatcher he had just shot his mom.

Just before the call, he had texted his father, saying, "Dad, this is Noah. I killed Mom accidentally. I regret it. Come home now please." His dad assumed it was some kind of twisted joke and texted back, "Okay. Just throw her in the grove. We will take care of her later."

Earlier that day, Noah had come home with bad grades. His mother, Gretchen, took away his video game controller—a punishment that may seem small, but for a boy obsessed with gaming, it hit hard.

Maybe it was that. Maybe it was something deeper. But by that evening, something had shifted—and by the time the sun went down, Gretchen was dead, and nothing in that house