Boy, 16, butchered own mum stabbing her 45 times using horror movie ‘Scream’ as ‘blueprint’ & planned killing spree

A TEENAGE boy became so hooked on the horror movie Scream that he brutally killed his own mum.

Mario Padilla, alongside his young cousin Samuel Ramirez, killed his mum Gina Castillo, 37, at their home in Lynwood, California, after she asked him to do some chores and grounded him.

Los Angeles Police Department

Padilla was sentenced to life in prison[/caption]

Alamy

Mario Padilla killed his mum after watching the film Scream[/caption]

The two teenagers admitted being obsessed with the film Scream, with one of them saying the slayings in the film were “cool”. He told a pal on a way back from school, “it was the perfect way to kill somebody,” it was reported at the time. 

The two boys had allegedly discussed real killings as they planned to copy the ones from the 1996 film.

According to witnesses, the boys referred to their murder fantasies as “doing a Scream” or “busting a Scream”.

They even planned to buy costumes and a voice distortion boxes to imitate in detail the killings in the film and spoke about going on a “killing spree”. 

And on January 13, 1998, Mario attacked his mum from behind, while Samuel held her down.

They stabbed her 45 times using at least four different knives. 

The woman was able to call 911 for help and said: “My son, he’s 16, he just stabbed me. I’m bleeding. Oh, I’m bleeding.″ 

Although the films appeared to play an important role in the incident, judge John J. Cheroske banned any mention of the films Scream or Scream 2. 

“The court orders that any and all ‘Scream’ evidence is excluded from this trial″ he said in a written ruling.

“The court orders that this case is not to be referred to as the ‘Scream’ murder case.”

Before the sentencing, Mario Padilla, 17, gave a statement to a probation officer saying his exposure to TV and movie horror caused him to “fantasize how to do things I could not do,” reported the Los Angeles Times.

The explanation was read by the judge.

It read: “I have been watching television since the age of 7. It’s ironic how people say do not let your kids watch TV at that age, because it really does affect them.”

Deputy District Attorney Carol Rose said in opening statements that Mario was upset with his mum for giving him chores to do and that he wanted to steal $150 meant for Mrs. Castillo’s newborn daughter.

“But did the movie provide a blueprint? Absolutely… You need a cat to copy. In this case, Scream is that cat.”

Madeleine Levine

The Associated Press obtained the 1998 preliminary hearing transcript before it was sealed by Cheroske, and it shows that the prosecution once planned to make the trial a showcase for the effects of movie violence on teenagers.

“There was a movie called ‘Scream’ that came out in the theater, and the evidence will show that Mario saw the movie many, many times and became somewhat obsessed with the movie and involved (his cousins) in a plot to reenact the murders in the movie,″ Rose had said in her opening statement at the hearing.

“After Scream came out and the boys had seen it many times, ‘Scream 2,’ a sequel, came out and there will be evidence that that was seen a couple of times before the first murder was actually perpetrated.”

According to the prosecutor, the teens planned to kill Mario’s mother and stepfather and then move on to kill two girls from the area.

The girls had been receiving threatening phone calls and letters.

The court also heard a friend of the two boys, Aaron Hernandez, was invited to participate in the killing shortly before Mrs Castillo’s death.

The teen, who had met the duo at the local arcade, said: “(Mario) said they were going to go over and kill his mom because it was a perfect day to do it.

“I was being asked to participate. I said no.″

Jurors agreed the teenagers were also planning to kill Padilla’s stepfather, Pedro Castillo, who was not at home at the time.

Mr Castillo did not attend the trial, but Rose informed him of the verdict the following day.

“We both cried,” she said.

“It was torment for him. He never wanted to have contact with his stepson again, even though he raised him for 10 years.”

Mario eventually was sentenced to life in prison and Samuel received 45 years.

During the case, Madeline Levine, a psychologist who’d been studying the effects of violence on children, told CBS: “There were a whole bunch of reasons why they acted out that way.

“But did the movie provide a blueprint? Absolutely… You need a cat to copy. In this case, Scream is that cat.”