Gabriel Kuhn was a young boy from Brazil and an avid video game enthusiast. He tragically lost his life in a gruesome murder after he met Daniel Petry. Petry was one of the players Kuhn met during his hours-long gaming sessions on the “Tibia” game. “Tibia” was a free-play game loaded with in-game currency, costumes, and pets.
The boys soon became good friends and bonded over their love for the game, or so their parents thought. Hence, what began as a fun way to escape and meet new friends became a death sentence for Gabriel Kuhn. Although several years have passed, many questions are unanswered regarding the heinous crime and horrid incident that shook many.
Here’s everything we know about Gabriel Kuhn’s life and death.
Who Is Gabriel Kuhn?
Gabrie Kuhn was born Gabriel Guillermo Kuhn in Santa Catarina, Brazil. He was a bright young boy who lived with his mother and elder brother. He also loved playing video games. Although his birthdate is unknown, Kuhn was only 12 when 16-year-old Daniel Petry murdered him in cold blood.
Kuhn met Petry via an online game called “Tibia,” a medieval-themed massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). It brought Petry and Gabriel Kuhn together as friends and neighbors in Santa Catarina, Brazil. They spent countless hours playing the game together on private servers they set up.
Their shared passion for Tibia led them to form what seemed like an innocent friendship at first glance. However, it soon took a dark turn when disagreements arose over borrowed virtual currency within the game.
What Caused the Dispute Between Daniel Petry and Gabriel Kuhn?
The chain of events leading to Gabriel Kuhn’s murder began with a trivial disagreement between the boys over borrowed in-game currency. In “Tibia,” players could purchase virtual items and enhancements using coins. Kuhn had asked Petry for a loan of 20,000 Brazilian Real to buy 20,000 Tibia coins (equivalent to $1.75 at that time) with the promise to repay him later.
However, when it was time to pay, Gabriel Kuhn refused. He blocked Petry from their private server and cut off contact within the game. This act infuriated Petry and set the stage for a violent confrontation between the two friends.
Gabriel Kuhn Death
Upon discovering that Gabriel Kuhn disconnected him from the server, Petry became enraged by his friend’s betrayal. He then decided to take matters into his own hands and visited Kuhn at his home on July 23rd, 2007. Upon arriving at the house, Gabriel Kuhn was home alone.
Petry convinced him that he wanted to discuss their disagreement in person. However, as he entered the room, he quickly locked the door behind him and immediately attacked Kuhn, beating him to a pulp. Due to the brutality unleashed on him by Petry, Kuhn was in a severe condition.
Despite this, Petry did not stop there. He sexually violated Kuhn, who was much smaller than him, while the poor teenager was writhing in pain. After the violation, Gabriel Kuhn was brave enough to tell Petry that he would tell his mother all he had done to him. Consequently, Petry decided to take drastic measures to silence his victim permanently.
He removed electrical cords and tightly wrapped them around the neck of the 12-year-old, strangling him until he was unconscious. While one would assume that this horrific act was the worst possible outcome, Petry’s heinous crime was far from over.
Daniel Petry Mutilated Gabriel Kuhn
Believing he had killed his friend, Petry attempted to hide evidence by hiding Gabriel Kuhn in an attic crawl space. However, Kuhn’s body was too big to fit into the crawl space. Hence, Petry decided to cut off Kuhn’s legs. He located a saw and began slicing his body to make it fit into the small crawl space. As Petry cut into his body, Kuhn suddenly woke up screaming in unbearable agony.
Unfazed, Petry continued his gruesome task until he successfully severed Gabriel Kuhn’s legs and carved the Tibia symbol into the 12-year-old boy’s chest. Ultimately, Gabriel Kuhn succumbed to the horrifying injuries, and Petry fled.
Later that day, Kuhn’s elder brother returned home to find his brother’s mutilated body. He alerted the neighbors, and they called in the authorities, thereby setting off an investigation leading to Daniel Perry’s arrest and conviction.
Gabriel Kuhn and Daniel Petry’s Case
After a thorough investigation, the police apprehended Petry for questioning. During interrogation, he shockingly admitted to killing Gabriel Kuhn and disturbingly provided graphic details about how he committed the brutal assault and dismemberment without remorse or regret.
The autopsy performed on Kuhn revealed the extent of the brutal injuries he suffered at the hands of Daniel Petry. In addition, it uncovered multiple instances of sexual assault that occurred during the violent ordeal. However, when asked about sexually assaulting Kuhn, Petry became angry and denied being homosexual, revealing a warped mindset behind his atrocious acts.
During his trial, he maintained a chilling lack of remorse for his actions. He justified his brutality by arguing that he punished Kuhn for cheating in their online game dispute. Due to his age at the time of the crime, Brazilian authorities charged Petry as a juvenile. They sentenced him to three years in a juvenile delinquent facility.
However, this relatively light sentence sparked outrage among many who felt the authorities did not serve adequate justice for such a horrifying crime as that of Lamora Williams.