Daniel Zeitz listed his PlayStation 4 for $280 on Craigslist.
He had three names of potential buyers to choose from, and he chose one. The avid gamer who was part of a professional gaming team would meet his potential buyer in the parking lot of his Roswell, Ga., apartment building to complete the deal.
On a September evening in 2014, he approached a car with a young man in the front seat, his teenage girlfriend in the passenger's seat and a 16-month old baby in the backseat.
When Zeitz showed the gaming console to the young man, he tried to yank the machine into the car. Zetiz struggled to hold on to the PlayStation. That fight to not be robbed in front of his own home led the teenage girl to reach between her legs to grab a .25 caliber handgun. She fired a shot, and the bullet pierced through her boyfriend's hand before finding a mortal spot in the side of Zeitz's chest.
That night is the reason why Daniel Zeitz is dead. It's also the reason why that girl, Kayla Dixon, 18, was sentenced to 40 years in prison as part of a plea deal on Monday.
Monday was supposed to be the first day of her trial for her role in the murder of Zeitz, according to WSB-TV. Just as jury selection was about to begin, she accepted a plea and gave a prepared apology to Zeitz's family.
"I would trade anything, almost anything, to bring Daniel back. But I know I can't," Dixon said with a crackling voice, but no visible tears. "I know he had plans. I wish I could tell him I'm so, so sorry that this happened, but I can't."
She said she sits in her cell every day thinking about that night.
The night she shot Zeitz, she and her boyfriend, Nathaniel Vivian, went to a local hospital initially claiming that he had been a victim of a crime as an excuse for the wound in his hand. Vivian later admitted to authorities at the hospital what he and Dixon had done, according to The Atlanta Journal Constitution.
It was later revealed that the pair had researched how to rob someone. David Lapides, a detective in the case, testified that Dixon and Vivian used their cell phones to plan the robbery and their computers to scheme how to execute one, according to The Atlanta Journal Constitution.
"There were numerous text messages between Dixon and Vivian discussing plans to rob someone," he said. "They discussed getting the address. How they wanted to do it - come at him with the gun (or) surprise him and catch him when he came outside. Go inside the apartment. These messages went back and forth for a while."
Dixon's baby was taken away and given to relatives. She was eventually tried as an adult.
On Monday, her lawyer, Leah Abbasi, shared with the judge that Dixon had a troubled childhood that consisted of rape and relationships with men who were involved in illegal dealings. Abbasi said that her client's past doesn't excuse what's happened, but that it might provide an explanation for why Dixon is where she is now.
Zeitz's mother, Patty, told WSB-TV reporter Mike Petchenik that she has accepted Dixon's apology.
"At first I didn't want to accept her apology. I thought her apology today was very heartfelt and I feel like she is truly sorry for what happened," she told Petchenik. "It's just a crime that young people can get caught in these situations because of the examples they'd had in their lives."
Zeitz's father told the same reporter that he hopes the tragedy stays with Dixon so that she can become a better person once she's released.
Vivian will face trial later this summer. According to WSB-TV, Dixon is willing to testify against him if she's asked.
Zeitz's life inspired a short documentary called "Level Up," which was part of the 2014 Fusion Doc Challenge, a film-making competition where creators make four to seven minute documentaries with a five-day limit. The documentary placed in the top 20 and ranked in first place internationally. The film documented what was left in the wake of his murder for his family and his friends in the gaming community.
Zietz would've celebrated his 30th birthday next month.
The Washington Post
Wed Jun 22 2016
Daniel Zeitz listed his PlayStation 4 for $280 on Craigslist. - Pix for illustration purposes only.
AWANI 7:45 [16/07/2024] - Suspek dibawa ke lokasi | Selamat tinggal rakyat Malaysia | Harimau Malaya hilang taring?
- Polis sahkan suspek bunuh Kartini anggota polis.
- Pan-Gon enggan dedah punca letak jawatan.
- Faisal Halim sedih mentor Pan-Gon undur diri.
- Pakai reben putih di Parlimen, tak salah.
- Pan-Gon enggan dedah punca letak jawatan.
- Faisal Halim sedih mentor Pan-Gon undur diri.
- Pakai reben putih di Parlimen, tak salah.
E-sukan harus dijadikan kepentingan sehingga ke peringkat lebih tinggi
Kerajaan juga harus wujudkan sebuah dasar yang jelas supaya kepentingan e-sukan ini mampu diperkembangkan ke masa hadapan.
Kerajaan pandang serius penularan ideologi liberalism, pluralism
Kerajaan sentiasa memandang serius terhadap penularan ideologi dan aliran pemikiran yang bercanggah dengan ajaran Islam seperti ideologi liberalism dan pluralism agama.
Tidak dapat tidak, atlet RTG mesti bawa pulang emas - MOM
Atlet di bawah projek Road To Gold (RTG) tidak mempunyai pilihan selain memenangi emas yang diidam-idamkan Malaysia pada Sukan Olimpik 2024 di Paris.
KEDA peruntuk RM3.37 juta tahun ini bagi keterjaminan makanan
Lembaga Kemajuan Wilayah Kedah (KEDA) memperuntukkan RM3.37 juta pada tahun ini bagi memastikan keterjaminan makanan negara.
Dewan Rakyat lulus RUU Agensi Kawalan dan Perlindungan Sempadan Malaysia
Rang Undang-Undang Agensi Kawalan dan Perlindungan Sempadan Malaysia 2024 yang bertujuan menubuhkan MCBA diluluskan persidangan Dewan Rakyat, hari ini.
PAC akan mulakan prosiding isu dibangkit LKAN Siri 2/2024
Jawatankuasa Kira-Kira Wang Negara (PAC) akan memulakan prosiding bagi empat isu yang dibangkitkan dalam Laporan Ketua Audit Negara (LKAN) Siri 2/2024.
AWANI Ringkas: Kes bunuh Nur Farah Kartini | Skandal LCS
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
ADUN Rembia sertai Pas, kenapa tak umum tahun lepas? - MP Kampar
Chong Zhemin, tindakan tersebut seolah-olah satu penghinaan paling besar kepada Parlimen yang telah meluluskan pindaan Perlembagaan Persekutuan berkait Akta Antilompat Parti.
Masuk Pas untuk sama-sama susah dengan rakyat - ADUN Rembia
Muhamad Jailani berkata, sebelum ini beliau pernah menghantar surat kepada Lembaga Disiplin UMNO memohon untuk memecat keahliannya daripada parti Melayu itu.