A viral video on social media shows a British man arrested for murder crying that he will be missed Grand Theft Auto 6. The timing of this release may lead some to believe that these events are more recent than they are, given the proximity of Grand Theft Auto 6s release date and how it was shared on social media. However, the events in the video took place in May 2025 and have just now been released following his conviction.
On May 30, 2025, Robert Richens called police to say he believed he killed a woman: Rachael Vaughan, his girlfriend, 40. It was later played at a court hearing: “You're not going to believe this and I think I accidentally killed someone. She's not moving. I'm honest because I'm ashamed of what I didn't mean to kill. The prosecutor told the court that Richens beat, killed and hit her with an instrument until she died, citing “64 sites of blunt trauma”.
Richens would plead guilty to murder in December 2025 and be sentenced to life in prison on February 6, 2026. After his sentencing, body camera footage obtained by the British channel The Independent showed Richens crying and upset over GTA 6 during his arrest in May 2025. “I will miss GTA,” Richens said, to which the officer replied, “Which one GTA? What are you talking about, Robert?” Richens reiterated that he would miss the release of GTA 6. The officer told him he had “ages” until it was released, to which Richens replied, “I'm going to get a life.”
Thames Valley Police via People
Before making this call to the police, Richens reportedly spent five hours at Vaughan's home cleaning up the body, changing clothes and cleaning the house. Vaughan was pronounced dead at the scene, and Richens was arrested at his own home later that day. Richens and Vaughan had reportedly begun an on-again, off-again relationship in the spring of 2023. According to Detective Inspector Stuart May, “Richens left Rachael alone in his house, made no attempt to help her or seek medical attention, and he only contacted the police when he had nowhere else to turn.”
With such cases, it bears repeating that several studies conducted over several years have found no strong evidence of a causal relationship between violent crime and violent video games, nor have they increased any form of emotional desensitization. But fans should be prepared for the eventual release of GTA 6. GTA 5 played a major role in movements regarding “video game violence”, and GTA 6 the discourse is likely to be similar.
Source: People, The Independent
