Smoking Gun Website Features Play Written by VT Shooter

The Smoking Gun website has posted a play written by the Virginia Tech shooter, Cho Seung-Hui. Cho Seung-Hui had been removed from an English class for his disturbing and often violent writings almost two years before the shootings that took place on Monday.

Cho Seung-Hui was an English major who was expected to graduate this spring from Virginia Tech. The play featured on the Smoking Gun website was submitted almost a year ago as part of a short story contest. 

The play posted on the website is titled "Richard McBeef". The one act play begins with Richard McBeef trying to create a relationship with his 13 year old stepson John. The son angrily accuses being involved in a government conspiracy as well as being a pedophile. The boy also claims that Richard McBeef has killed his father and married his mother less than a month ago.

After sharing his accusations with his mother, the mother hits Richard McBeef and later chases him with a chainsaw. The boy's hatred seems to stem from the fact the father is overweight and works a minimum wage job. Both the mother and son refer to the father as fat.

At one point the boy throws darts at a picture of his step father. During this scene he insinuates he must kill Richard McBeef. Later he tries to choke him with a cereal bar while the step father is sitting in his car. Richard responds by hitting John and killing him.

Throughout the play there are disturbing themes of hate and violence. Not only are there strong overtones of pedophilia, but it is clear that the boy and his mother are very disturbed. The narrative thread of the story is disjointed and the characters seem to only exist to say and do shocking things to the title character, a man who is accused of being a pedophile.

The Smoking Gun website also features copies of the temporary detention order and psychiatric evaluation. Dated December 14, 2005, the evaluation noted that the subject did not admit to thoughts of suicide and displayed a logical thought process. Despite these notes, further treatment was recommended.