According to Spanish media, the course of events has not yet been conclusively clarified. However, it is certain that the tragedy was discovered by an aunt of the teenager. She had gone to the house of the family on Friday, because she had not heard from her relatives for several days. The teenager opened the door to her with the words:

According to his testimony, he had locked himself in his home with the bodies for three days after the crime, undetected, and played video games. He told the school that he had explained his absence with a #COVID-19 infection. The death of his parents and brother is also said to have gone unnoticed because the teenager himself had responded to WhatsApp messages on his mother’s cell phone during this time.

Fortnite, a book or mental problems?

To the police, he had stated that the reason for the murder was a dispute over his grades. After he failed five subjects, his mother cut off his Wi-Fi – and with it his ability to play online games like Fortnite on the computer.

However, whether video games can actually be the cause of such an act is currently the subject of controversial debate in the Spanish media. It is also being investigated whether the book “La edad de la ira” (Engl.: The Age of Rage) could have played a role.

The book was recommended as literature by the 15-year-old’s school. Whether it could have given the teenager reason to commit the crime is currently being investigated by the investigating authorities.

So far, the teenager had not shown any problematic behavior at school, nor had the family stood out as unusual. Although the boy had been considered shy among his schoolmates, he had been very active on social media. He liked to spend his time playing video games, which has been cited by numerous media outlets as a cause of grief.

Whether games like Fortnite actually led to the crime is not yet considered clear.

At the police station, investigators were reportedly shocked that the teenager did not show the slightest degree of remorse during questioning. The absence of any sign of regret led the doctor and forensic psychiatrist María Angustias Olivera, interviewed by the newspaper Información about possible causes of the crime, to the following assessment:

Whether ultimately drifting into gaming worlds, problems at school or in the family, or psychological pathologies could have been the cause of the family’s killing, investigating authorities are now trying to clarify. The teenager will be placed in a closed facility for minors for the time being, according to the order of the judge on duty.