Teen accused in Bandar Utama school killing diagnosed with early-onset schizophrenia and viewed others as ‘non-player characters’

A 15-year-old boy has been accused of killing a female schoolmate at a secondary school in Bandar Utama. According to the Shah Alam High Court, the accused had come to see the victim and others as "NPCs" (non-player characters) in gaming terms, which implies that those individuals lack agency or individuality and are merely background characters controlled by the game.

This view was disclosed in a psychiatric report prepared by Dr Ian Lloyd Anthony, a director and senior consultant forensic psychiatrist. The report revealed a "Death Note" journal on the accused's mobile phone in which he repeatedly referred to the deceased while chronicling his disturbing and psychotic thoughts. The journal, written in Mandarin, showed the accused's dehumanisation of his schoolmates, a grandiose delusion of being a godlike figure with the authority to judge and eliminate others, and identification with Eric Harris, Dylan Klebold, and other mass killers as role models.

Additionally, the report noted a family history of mental illness, including a diagnosed aunt, a mentally disordered paternal grand-uncle, and two affected sons. As the boy grew older, his mental health deteriorated due to exposure to the internet, video games, and anime, leading to isolation, paranoia, and psychotic symptoms. The accused developed an infatuation with the deceased and began experiencing auditory hallucinations, with a voice supposedly from Dylan Klebold instructing him to kill her.