Daniel Petric allegedly shot both his parents, killing his mother, after his copy of Xbox game Halo 3 was confiscated.

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An American 16-year-old was so angry that his minister father would not allow him to play Halo 3 that he shot both his parents in the head, killing his mother, a court was told.

Daniel Petric, now 17, had snuck out of his house to buy the popular 'first person shooter' game, but was caught sneaking back into the house with it, a Lorain County judge heard during the murder trial yesterday.

His father, Mark, took the game and put in a lockbox which also contained a 9mm handgun.

The teen took both game and gun from the box and then went into the family's living room, according to his father's court statement.

"Would you guys close your eyes?" he asked, "I have a surprise for you."

Mark Petric said he expected a 'pleasant surprise', reports The Plain Dealer.

Instead his head went numb, he told the court. He and his wife, 43-year-old Susan Petric, had both been shot in the head.

Susan Petric died of her injuries.

Mark Petric, who broke down on the witness stand, said his son apologised for killing his mother.

"Dad, I'm so sorry for what I did to Mom, to you and to the family," Daniel Petric said, according to his father. "I'm so glad you are alive."

The youth's lawyers told the court that he had been under stress after a snowboarding accident that left him homebound with nothing to do but watch TV and play games.

The trial continues.

- NZ HERALD STAFF