Minecraft to Murder: The Killing of Breck Bednar is set to leave parents everywhere feeling deeply unsettled.
The new Prime Video documentary tells the shocking real life story of 14-year-old Breck Bednar, who was targeted through gaming before being manipulated and ultimately lured to his death.
Breck, who lived in Surrey, was targeted online by 19-year-old computer engineer Lewis Daynes while he played games online.
The murder of Breck Bednar, pictured with his mum Lorin, will be told in a new documentary (Credit: Prime Video)
The two-part documentary reconstructs Daynes’ terrifying campaign of deception through testimony from Breck’s parents, friends, detectives and journalists.
It puts Breck’s life at the centre while revealing how an apparently safe online community became a route to manipulation and murder.
How Breck Bednar was targeted online by Lewis Daynes
In 2013, Breck was a bright, funny and much loved 14 year old with a passion for gaming. He also dreamed of a future in computing.
At first, Daynes’ server gave Breck and his friends somewhere to play, meet and chat. Daynes never appeared on webcam, but made extraordinary claims about his wealth, influence and success in computing.
He also shared extreme videos from Syrian battlefields, leaving members of the group increasingly uneasy.
As his stories came under scrutiny, Daynes focused more attention on Breck. Two of the schoolboy’s friends recall how he promised Breck an exciting future and a powerful role within a fictitious technology company.
Daynes then used lies and manipulation to turn Breck against friends who questioned his wild claims.
Breck Bednar’s parents to appear in documentary
Breck’s parents, Lorin and Barry, will share their upsetting account of what happened to their son. They describe their increasingly desperate attempts to protect Breck from Daynes’ influence.
Lorin confronted Daynes online after realising Breck could be in danger. Daynes responded by trying to push Breck further away from his family.
As their concerns grew, Breck’s parents contacted police and even removed his computer.
Those difficult actions appeared to interrupt the contact, giving the family hope that normal life was returning. But by the end of the first episode, that fragile relief is shattered.
Daynes had found another way to reach Breck…
The documentary about Breck’s devastating murder will air later this month (Credit: Prime Video)
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