Sometime in 2007, the story of then-16-year-old Daniel Patry brutalizing and murdering Gabriel Kuhn, who was four years his junior, broke out in various newspapers’ headlines. Gabriel murdered his friend for not paying back a $1.55 loan he took from him.
The bloodiness and overall callousness of the act scandalized the entire world at the time, first because of how young both the killer and the victim were, and second, because the cause of the altercation was unbelievably flimsy. Here we are 15 years later, still talking about why a teenager would murder another teenager over something so ridiculous.
Gabriel Kuhn and Daniel Patry Met the Same Year the Ugly Incident Happened
Daniel Patry and Gabriel Kuhn met each other in Blumenau, Brazil in 2007. It hasn’t been determined exactly whether the two boys were close friends or not before the unfortunate incident, but they did share a couple of common interests. This is evidenced by the fact that they played video games together at a local gaming center in the area.
The exact game that led to Daniel’s murder was a multiplayer online role-playing game called Tibia. The game was a product of a German company, CIPsoft, a gaming company created by four German students named Guido Lübke, Ulrich Schlott, Stephan Payer, and Stephan Vogler.
Tibia came online in the year 1997 and is credited as one of the earliest, longest-running multiplayer online role-playing games ever to have been launched. It was also the nail in the coffin for Daniel’s untimely death.
It is Uncertain if the Boys Were Friends
Again, this is another question whose answer is not certain as nobody except the two of them knew the exact extent of their relationship. The two boys had obviously bonded over their love for video games alright, but it remains to be known if they were ever anything more than game buddies.
At the time, Gabriel was about 4 years older than his future victim, so it might not be off the mark to suggest that they might not have been too close at the time. Reports about the incident continue to give credence to the fact that both were only mutual video game lovers, and nothing more.
In spite of how casual their interactions might have been, there was no aggression between the two teenagers until the altercation happened.
A $1.55 Debt Led to Daniel’s Murder
It so happened that the game they were playing was one of the most popular games in the world at the time. In order to score more points and move higher in Tibia, a player needed to upgrade from the regular account to a premium one. This account upgrade process wasn’t free and cost a couple of dollars.
Additionally, the fees were rendered monthly if the player wanted to gain more benefits from the game. Reports from the Brazilian police stated that Gabriel had borrowed some money from Daniel in order to upgrade his account. The amount was said to amount to 20,000 worth of virtual currency, the estimated value of today’s 1.55 American dollars.
So, the 12-year-old youngster obtained the loan from his ‘friend’ on the condition that he repaid it as soon as possible. It turned out that instead of repaying his loan, Gabriel blocked his friend online, and went AWOL. This action greatly enraged Daniel, and poor Gabriel paid dearly for it, as you already know by now.
Daniel Patry Killed Gabriel Kuhn in the Most Gruesome Way and Dismembered Him
In 2007, Gabriel Kuhn was tortured and eventually murdered by Daniel Patry over a miserly $1.55. It is quite unfathomable to reckon why such a frivolous thing as a game could lead one to take the life of another. But there was an underlying cause of Daniel’s behavior—mental illness.
Apparently, Daniel was a very hot-tempered kid and was so badly behaved that his parents had to admit him into therapy. It was said that the boy never completed these therapy sessions, even engaging in other juvenile behavior like missing homework and skipping classes.
This unchecked anger led him into harassing and bullying Gabriel for over a month. On the night of the murder, after checking with his mum to be sure she wasn’t coming home that night, Daniel tracked Gabriel to his house.
He tricked the already suspicious Daniel into opening the door for him under the guise of seeking an apology. When the latter opened up, he lunged at the much smaller boy and battered him until he (Gabriel) started bleeding.
It is said that Daniel laughed even as Gabriel bled out on the floor. Unfortunately, Gabriel threatened Daniel about revealing some damning secrets about his family, and the latter snapped beyond control. Daniel Patry found a rope and used it to choke Gabriel.
Other reports, however, have said that Gabriel did not die of asphyxiation, but rather from excessive bleeding due to being dismembered. The sick teenager sawed off his friend’s legs and ripped out his middle parts, all of which happened while Gabriel was still alive.
He hid the body in the attic of Gabriel’s house, while the dismembered legs were found on a neighbor’s property.
The Killer was Sentenced to Only 3 Years Imprisonment
Yes, Daniel Patry was soon charged for the murder of Gabriel Kuhn and was sentenced to three years in juvenile prison. Investigations by the police revealed that it was indeed the Tibia game that led to the entire ordeal, and that Gabriel died of excessive bodily trauma.
Patry ended up confessing to his crime, and he admitted that he tried to hang Daniel at first, but after seeing he was too heavy, decided to cut him into pieces using a saw instead. He got a 3-year sentence, which many believe was way too lenient for the gravity of the crime he committed.
Where Is Daniel Patry Now?
Daniel Patry is currently at large. In 2010, he was released from the juvenile facility where he was incarcerated. Currently, there is very little known about his whereabouts as he and his family disappeared soon after his release.
It is very worrisome that such a criminal appears to still be moving free at this time. All personal information about the now 31-year-old ex-convict has been taken off search engines due to security and privacy concerns.
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