Online Divorcee Jailed After Killing Virtual Hubby

Japanese woman charged with hacking
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Oct 23, 2008 12:23 PM CDT
Online Divorcee Jailed After Killing Virtual Hubby
A user-generated screenshot from the 2D MMORPG "Maple Story," where a woman was driven to kill her virtual husband.   (©kalathalan)

A 43-year-old Japanese woman whose sudden divorce in a virtual game world made her so angry that she killed her online husband's digital persona has been arrested on suspicion of hacking, police said today. The woman allegedly used her digital husband's identification and password to log onto popular interactive game "Maple Story" and kill his 2-D alter-ego.

"I was suddenly divorced, without a word of warning. That made me so angry," an official quoted her as telling investigators. The woman had not plotted any revenge in the real world, he said. If convicted she could face a prison term of up to five years. The woman used login information she got from the 33-year-old office worker when their characters were happily married to carry out the bloody deed. The man complained to police when he discovered that his beloved online avatar was dead. (More Japan stories.)

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