A new true crime documentary series released on Prime Video today (Thursday, October 22) revisits the 2013 murder of 14-year-old Breck Bednar, including a chilling 999 call made by his killer.
From Gaming to Murder: The Killing of Breck Bednar takes viewers back to the events leading to Breck's death. Breck, a young boy from Surrey with a love of gaming and dreams of a future in computing, was groomed, isolated and lured to his murder by Lewis Daynes, then aged 18.
Family and Friends Speak Out
The two-part documentary hears directly from Breck's family and friends as they open up about the moment their lives changed forever. A synopsis reads: "Told by Breck Bednar's family and friends, this powerful series reveals how the innocent world of an online gaming group became the stalking ground of a predator."
Lewis Daynes created a fantasy life of a tech millionaire in order to isolate and groom Breck. Despite Breck's parents' desperate efforts to protect him, Daynes lured Breck to his murder with the most cynical of lies, the synopsis adds.
Chilling 999 Call Revealed
The documentary features a recording of a 999 call Daynes made after killing Breck in his home in Essex in 2014. In the call, Daynes tells the emergency operator: "My friend and I got into an altercation and I'm the only one who came out alive."
When asked if he was telling the operator he had killed somebody, Daynes replied: "Yes I am." The recording is heard in full in the series.
Heartbreaking Tributes
Breck's mother Lorin shares why she decided to speak out, saying: "He was such a good boy. He took on the role of big brother amazingly and was always super helpful to me, my right-hand guy."
His father Barry added: "We tried for many years to have Breck and when he finally came, it was a great joy. He was very smart. We got pregnant with the other kids, the triplets and his life changed but he grew into that and he was brilliant."
Over 10 years on from Breck's death, a friend named Ollie says in the second episode that he has "never forgotten" Breck. He added: "Going through life and getting jobs, having girlfriends and pursuing a career, it feels like Breck should have been able to enjoy those life events like we've all been able to do it, it just doesn't seem fair. I don't think Breck deserves to be forgotten. He was a fantastic person and his memory deserves to be kept alive."
Breck's sister Carly reflects: "I think that's one of the most heartbreaking things. He's kind of just crystallised in this 14 almost 15 year old, never to grow older. It's kind of weird to grow older without him and do all of these things he'll never be able to do like go to university and fall in love. I know he would have been incredible whatever he did. I just miss him so much."
The series also explores how the family transformed their grief into a campaign to keep Breck's memory alive and teach other young people about the dangers of online grooming. Lorin admits: "We keep him alive but it's not the same. In my dreams, he's happy and cute and younger... he's so cute in my dreams."
From Gaming to Murder: The Killing of Breck Bednar can be streamed in full on Prime Video.
