Rudy J. Ferretti (rjchamp3) Murder-Suicide

[Albert]

1 minute ago, Shawn said:

It's just so awful all around. Those poor kids. I hope there is someone who will be able to care for them and give them a good upbringing and a provide for them adequately. That is the least I hope for them seeing as they will be doing so without a mother.

Yes, her Facebook cover photo is of two young children. I assume they are her children, but since I don't know that for fact, I didn't want to include that in my initial post.  I truly feel bad for the children who have just lost their mother and whose lives are now going to be chaotic and confusing for a time. 

3 minutes ago, Shawn said:

Honestly I'm not surprised one bit that he did this to that poor woman. The guy was a deranged coward. What I would be surprised to find out would be if he had not shown a real life pattern of behavior that led up to this in addition to the lunacy he brought to all his online interactions.

Yeah, it's really a shame he didn't get the help he obviously needed.  I didn't follow his destructive online behavior very closely, but I did personally experience his anger directed at me when I removed one of his threads or something of that nature.  He was always so bombastic and over the top. I wasn't aware of some of his harassment until others brought it up in this thread. And here's the email he sent after he was banned on April 21st of this year:

I just ignored this email, as I wasn't about to get in a shouting match with him.  He certainly seemed like he was always angry.

 

 ..Al

[AtariLeaf]

Wow what an unhinged lunatic. I do remember the thread about the Hyperkin Ranger, and yes I made a sarcastic comment which I guess I can proudly say that his response to was what finally got him banned.

 

Reading through his brief online history it's clear that the signs were there that something like this murder suicide was sadly inevitable. The girlfriend seemed like a nice person, certainly not deserving a boyfriend like this guy.

 

Can't say I'm sad he's gone. 

[OldSchoolRetroGamer]

Yes definitely the signs were there. In fact, coincidentally just a few minutes ago on a gaming community Facebook post this very topic was being discussed. Now, there is no need for further details or for me to name who I was replying to etc, but in relation to this topic, the thread was first pondering if the incident had actually taken place, if it was verified and was in fact involving Rudy etc, this was confirmed and established, among the discussion the subject had come up about his behavior, the signs of something like this happening and what could / should have been done. Specifically one person had implied how "pathetic" it was that now people were claiming the signs were there and yet nobody had done anything about it. This touched a nerve with me of sorts as one who has not only dealt with various stresses, mental issues, therapy but has also encountered and dealt with very volatile people under certain circumstances and so I will simply paste below the same response I did on Facebook to that person that questioned why nothing was done when the signs were there. 

 

Do WHAT exactly? Always people coming off acting like it is others fault for not "doing something" ? it sucks but that is just the way it is. Many who seen his posts or videos could recognize the guy certainly had his issues but again, WHAT EXACTLY is one expected to do? Yes, you can see the signs, yes you can realize something is "off" but the thing is, outside friends or family, and even often with friends / family not much can be done regardless of red flags or warning signs. Do you force him to take meds? Force him to seek counselling or consider therapy? So what would YOU have done? 

This was a very unfortunate event and I feel real sorry for Rudy's family and especially his ex-girlfriend family, considering what happened and what he did no doubt there was a reason she was his EX. Sadly though in our society even with the warning signs etc, not much can be done, unless a law is broken, unless a threat is attempted the law will not intervene. I heard about this first over on Atariage website where, like many sites and forums Rudy had been banned, sometimes for his attitude, for starting trouble with other members or outright messaging members with threats of harm or attack, just from my few minor encounters with him over the years online when I first heard honestly, it was not surprising, shocking yes, sad yes, but not surprising in the least. So yes, some seen it coming, at least something like it or at the least are not surprised but there is little anyone can do in the meantime. Fact is, he tended to come off very egotistical, acting like he was literally everything that mattered in the retro gaming community, the end all and be all of everything retro gaming and that the community would not even exist if it were not for him and FYI those are literally his words.

 

But that's fine, being an egomaniac is not a crime but many like myself who could read between the lines could see there was more to it, that in fact all his boasting and claims were just a wall he put up perhaps to deal with his own insecurities. That is not to say he didn't hold many records or was a skilled player, he most certainly was but he came off in a way that showed it all went to his head, making even the likes of Billy Mitchel look humble in comparison. It is unfortunate just how powerless most of us are when it comes to dealing with people that clearly need help, support, counselling but believe me as someone who has dealt with it, with a fellow roommate in shared accommodation as well as my own family member there are times when such people push away any such attempts and can make it very difficult if not dangerous to intervene, in the end all we can do is give condolences or reach out in support of those affected or left behind but it is often little that can be done after the fact.

 

 

Edited August 13, 2020 by OldSchoolRetroGamer
fix

[TrekMD]

I learned about this last night.  Very sad and unfortunate.  My condolences to both families.

 

Mental health issues are generally not well addressed because oftentimes they are dismissed or just not recognized.  Even when they are recognized, getting the proper treatment can be difficult.  There are programs of supervised drug administration but even that is no guarantee that someone will adhere to their therapy. 

[homerwannabee]

It's been awhile since I posted.  But yeah, the dude had some issues. He bragged about going 3,000 miles to prove some insignificant record.  The man was banned from four different ownerships at Twin Galaxies. One time he was banned for harassing Walter Day.

I never talked on the phone with him, but I knew him.

Like many people, I was Facebook friends with him who eventually unfriended him over going to far.

I still chatted with him outside of Facebook. I noticed that his viewpoints became more extreme, and he started to believe off the wall conspiracy theories.

I'm surprised by the news, but I'm not shocked. To be honest, I'm more surprised the person he killed had nothing to do with gaming.

[8th lutz]

8 hours ago, turboxray said:

Wait what??! Yeah those are some huge red flags.. wow.

There were other signs also with him. Back in 2018, I read at Twin Galaxies that he was banned for abusive behavior including making death threats. I am not a member of Twin Galaxies at any point. I suspected the death threats and abusive behavior were not taken seriously outside of him getting banned or didn't know where he lived. 

 

 

[Greg2600]

Somehow I missed out on this guy and what he was doing, or just didn't notice it.  However, after 10 minutes of Googling yesterday and finding those incidents, and hearing more today, just shocking.  I can't say I've known someone to be THIS unhinged for such a long time before finally snapping.  Obviously, banning him in real-life is what finally had tragic circumstances. 

[blnky81]

12 hours ago, Shawn said:

Giving him any sort of attention at all after he committed murder compounded by her death leaving children without a mother, makes my guts turn. Best thing would be to ignore he ever existed. Now that he's also cowardly removed himself from the equation the world is a better, safer place for all.

This.

[CPUWIZ]

What game are they talking about?

 

 

[+cvga]

3 minutes ago, CPUWIZ said:

What game are they talking about?

 

After reading the post about Cat DeSpira and her "No Princess in the Castle" documentary, I wondered if Pigs in the Castle was about her.

 

Now I'm wondering if his other two homebrews had other meanings also.

[8th lutz]

My condolences are to Rudy's ex-girlfriend's family and the friend & family of Rudy for dealing with this. 

 

I did not interact a lot with Rudy at all. He had a lot of issues and I did not feel comfortable interacting with him as time went on. 

 

I found out last night and today, he was even worse than I recalled. I know about the abusive behavior at Twin Galaxies that he got banned before a bunch of other things were mentioned about him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 14, 2020 by 8th lutz

[TrekMD]

2 hours ago, cvga said:

After reading the post about Cat DeSpira and her "No Princess in the Castle" documentary, I wondered if Pigs in the Castle was about her.

 

Now I'm wondering if his other two homebrews had other meanings also.

I believe that is the game they are referring to.  He got banned from RVG because of that game and the meaning behind it.

[Cepp]

What a wretched person. His ex and those kids deserved so much better than this.

Edited August 14, 2020 by Cepp

[Tim Snider]

Signing in and popping by to say "Wow." I had a brush-up with this guy years ago prior to one of the CGEs. He was gunning for my Halloween world record and was just an ass to me with trash-talking and what-not. I blocked him and forgot about him. I checked TG about a year ago and saw that he did eventually break my record (although I have doubts as to the legitimacy of the record). If you look at his user ID image here on AA he's crowing about that very record he broke! Anyway, when I heard this happened, I basically muttered "Sounds about right." Guy struck me as horribly unhinged. Sad to hear he killed his ex, but that's pretty much the only sad thing about this.

[Dauber]

I was stunned when last year I saw (and reported) one of his YouTube videos where he's practically reading a hit list and packing a pistol. The man was obviously dangerous. So thankful I never had any interactions with him. It sucks that it took an innocent life for him to be stopped.

[CPUWIZ]

6 hours ago, Dauber said:

I was stunned when last year I saw (and reported) one of his YouTube videos where he's practically reading a hit list and packing a pistol. The man was obviously dangerous. So thankful I never had any interactions with him. It sucks that it took an innocent life for him to be stopped.

 

What?  Do you have a link?

[Dauber]

Nope; it was removed.

[Karbuncle]

Rudy threatened me with violence and I had to block him on Facebook. He had a history of EXTREMELY self-centered behavior combined with cyber-bullying. I knew he was an asshole, but I didn't think he would end up murdering someone. Just terrible.

[AtariBrian]

I guess only in 2020 would this happen. That poor girl and her family did not deserve this. He is a sick monster and it does not surprise me that he did something like this. Serious mental issues.

[delmero]

I didn't know this Rudy Ferretti nor did I have any interaction with him. But from what I'm reading here I have a word for what he was: a narcissist and a sociopath, last and foremost he was a big coward.

People that use the Internet to harass other people are cowards with an inferiority complex in the mix.

 

Regarding this type of person having mental issues, nobody can force them into therapy or mental treatment; this Rudy was an adult.

 

RIP Ms. Amy Molter

I'm sorry for her children and family

 

D.

 

[+GoldLeader]

I agree with everyone that he was unhinged and that I feel sorry for his girlfriend.   A shame it ended like this.

 

I'm reminded of a guy I knew named Steve Sherwood who played bass in a death metal band called Immortal Dominion.  (I didn't know him well, but I ran sound for his band a few times and he ran sound for us whenever we played The Starlight in Fort Collins, CO).  Unlike Rudy, Steve was very well liked and kind of soft spoken, however, after coming back from a tour in Iraq in the army, he was changed.  In 2005, he ended up killing his wife then himself, leaving behind a 15 month old daughter.

 

It is a shame something can't be done.  But it's true you can't be responsible for whether or not another adult takes his meds.  And even for veterans, who are screened before coming home, there will be those that slip through the cracks...

 

 

[boulinha]

https://retrobitch.wordpress.com/2016/11/30/radical-felines-when-harassment-becomes-a-game/

 

Just fear

[Lost Dragon]

Simply the most horrific story i have ever read in all my days on gaming forums and something that never even entered my mind as a possibility of reading. 

 

 

He was a total unknown to myself and my deepest condolences go out to those left behind by this tragic event. 

[8th lutz]

On 8/15/2020 at 2:50 PM, delmero said:

I didn't know this Rudy Ferretti nor did I have any interaction with him. But from what I'm reading here I have a word for what he was: a narcissist and a sociopath, last and foremost he was a big coward.

People that use the Internet to harass other people are cowards with an inferiority complex in the mix.

 

Regarding this type of person having mental issues, nobody can force them into therapy or mental treatment; this Rudy was an adult.

 

RIP Ms. Amy Molter

I'm sorry for her children and family

 

D.

 

It is more than that for Rudy for he used the internet. A lot of people online knew his online actions depending to the degree. I only know about him getting banned for abusive behavior by Twin Galaxies, but not all the details. The thing is people did not know his offline life.

 

I read comment section on youtube video on Rudy from the Brett Weiss and it is a lot of stuff I had no idea he did.

 

People who knew him in real life outside of the internet said he beaten multiple women. Former co-workers were scared of him also. He did threatening behavior in the work place and talks about carry a gun every place goes according multiple former co-workers. That offline behavior was not known when he was alive for people who did not know him outside of what he did online.

 

He was a monster off the internet and on the internet according to the youtube comments. 

 

 

Edited August 18, 2020 by 8th lutz

[ubersaurus]

I do see some folks suggest he had mental health issues, but honestly you don’t need to be sick in the head to be the kind of entitled, toxic, misogynistic, violent person he was. Some people are just awful independent of underlying medical conditions.