Wii-contest DJs could face criminal charges

New information comes to light from audio recordings of the show; Sheriff opens investigation into the death of mother-of-three Jennifer Strange.

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This brief audio clip of KDND on-air radio personalities appeared on the Sacramento Bee Web site.
The death of a 28-year-old woman who entered a California radio station contest to "Hold your wee for a Wii," has become the basis of a criminal investigation, reports Reuters.

Jennifer Strange, who lived in Rancho Cordova, had been trying to win one of Nintendo's new consoles for her kids. During the competition, which challenged contestants to drink as much water as they could without going to the bathroom, she got through an estimated two gallons of water.

After the radio show, she called in sick to work, and was later found dead at her suburban home by her mother. The initial findings of the coroner said the death appeared to be consistent with water intoxication.

Initially, County Sheriff John McGinness had said that there were no plans to open a criminal investigation, since Ms. Strange had entered the contest on her own free will.

But in audio recordings which have been posted on the Internet, the DJs are heard joking about contestants dying of water intoxication, even referencing the death of Matthew Carrington, a student who died after drinking too much water during a fraternity hazing. A caller, who identified herself as Eva, also phoned in to the show to warn that the stunt could kill, but she was dismissed by being told that contestants had "signed releases, so we're not responsible."

In light of the new information from the audio tapes, an investigation has been launched, stated a spokesperson for the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

Sgt. Timothy Curran said, "We have decided we will open a death investigation which will take weeks and on conclusion our findings will be forwarded to the local district attorney to decide whether to lay criminal charges."

KDND 107.9 has also fired 10 staff, including five on-air personalities, over the incident, as part of its own investigation.

486 Comments

  • MrSickVisionz

    Posted Jan 23, 2007 10:33 am PT

    This is like your boss asking you to quickly bring him some scissors, you run with them, fall and get stabbed. Then you turn around and press criminal charges against him.

    There was negligience, but this is a case where nobody actually thinks someone is gonna commit suicide just to get a Wii. I really want an X-Box 360 but if i'm in a contest and i'm feeling like hell and near death, i'm gonna drop out cuz in my mind, a 360 isn't worth me dying. For this woman it was. Is that the DJs commiting homicide or this woman commiting suicide?

  • DrKill09

    Posted Jan 22, 2007 9:07 am PT

    "Maybe we should have researched this?" No ****!

  • Darth-Revan45

    Posted Jan 22, 2007 8:01 am PT

    I hope they get fired.

  • Jerian

    Posted Jan 21, 2007 11:47 pm PT

    This is an extreme, tragic side effect for living in a materialistic society.

  • Systemafunk

    Posted Jan 21, 2007 11:23 pm PT

    I like how in the audio clip the last thing you hear is "maybe we should have researched this". You think??! Coincidentally enough, being in a public forum also puts you in a position of responsibility. You think when they have food eating contests they don't have medical personnel around in case of emergencies. Thats what companies, radio stations included, have to do: be prepared for emergencies.

    Like it or not.

  • Systemafunk

    Posted Jan 21, 2007 11:08 pm PT

    Those people willfully elected to enter said contest, they were not forced to do so. If you don't know that you can hurt yourself by NOT peeing, try it and let me know how that works out for you.

    Sorry, but holding it in for a long time wont kill you. Eventually the pain will overwhelm you and youll just wet yourself. You might cause minor damage, but not death. The problem was the excess water. Water thins the blood stream, making it more difficult for oxygen to reach the brain. What the radio station did, (and make no mistake it WAS the whole radio station, DJs dont just spontaneously make up contests), is at least criminal negligence.

    So, obviously you werent fully aware of the situation. Yet, you expect a single mother of 3 to know about something as obscure as water intoxication?

  • theKSMM

    Posted Jan 21, 2007 10:12 pm PT

    A lawyer could easily argue that the DJs dismissive nature constituted recklessness or criminal negligence. Knowingly having a group of people put their lives in danger for a few laughs certainly seems to me like a negligent indifference to the sanctity of human life.

    Besides, I will certainly admit that I had never heard of "water intoxication" before this incident. So I'm guessing that at least a few of the contestants (including Jennifer Strange) were unaware that they were jeopardizing their health and their lives.

  • Demon_Hybrid

    Posted Jan 21, 2007 5:03 pm PT

    Well of course they can still get in trouble you dumb arse. I never said it was completely impossible for them to get in trouble. But no matter what the out come, I feel sorry for the radio people getting blamed. This is completely rediculous and arrogant of people. No one was holding a gun to this womans head (as other smart, non-childish people have stated). They didn't force the water down her throat. People now a days are just pathetic. You can't fall, get hurt, or die without some poor innocent soul getting sued or put in jail. It's sad what has become of this country.

  • Kfoss

    Posted Jan 21, 2007 4:35 pm PT

    i hope they are sued into complete submission...yea sure they signed a release..but i doubt that release specifically stated the extreme dangers of what they were doing...and if not then guess what....oh yea there getting the take down...hope they have deep pockets... damn why must people die for consoles.....absolutely nuts

  • sirvampalot

    Posted Jan 21, 2007 3:20 pm PT

    Put the nob's in jail

  • zintarr

    Posted Jan 21, 2007 3:20 pm PT

    Demon_Hybrid wrote:
    "The radio station is not responsible. The woman signed a release therefore it's all on her."

    Have you ever heard of malpractice lawsuits? How is it people can sue doctors when something goes wrong during surgery? Do not all patients having surgery sign waivers releasing the doctors, nurses and hospital from all liability if something goes wrong? Bottom line is that waivers more often than not do not hold up in court. I thank you though for showing just how stupid people can be.

  • the-ramone

    Posted Jan 21, 2007 2:40 pm PT

    The woman is dead!! You can't say she doesn't deserve justice, she is dead!!!

  • ljk5

    Posted Jan 21, 2007 2:40 pm PT

    1SleepyGit i'm with you.

  • 1SleepyGit

    Posted Jan 21, 2007 1:20 pm PT

    @Demon_Hybrid People are not foolish for believing that a radio station wouldn't put them at a stupid risk. They did not inform her of the dangers, and not everyone knows the dangers of obscure things like water poisoning. The audio tapes show that the station DID know the dangers but went ahead anyway, that shows a complete disregard for human safety. When people sign waivers they are supposed to be informed of all dangers, she was not. She did not know that it would kill her, and most people here I doubt would have known either (and if anyone plans on saying "well I knew blah blah blah" let me point out you are a single person and not a representative of the whole human race you idiots).

  • Demon_Hybrid

    Posted Jan 21, 2007 10:59 am PT

    The radio station is not responsible. The woman signed a release therefore it's all on her. There is always going to be fools looking to blame somone else. But anyways, it is Jennifer Strange's fault for her own death. Blame her you idiots. Leave the radio people alone, because it's not like they held her down and forced the water in. I'm sure they feel bad enough as is.

  • dsplayer1010

    Posted Jan 21, 2007 8:46 am PT

    how sad

  • torsobox

    Posted Jan 20, 2007 8:44 pm PT

    Dr_Feelgood:
    "If you don't agree with this, I'm afraid you are out of luck cause I don't think there is a first world society that lets coporations sell and promote dangerous things and when users get hurt, the fault is on them."

    Guns? Cigarettes? Just a thought.

  • V-IGamer

    Posted Jan 20, 2007 5:52 pm PT

    Does anyone know how to contact Jennifer Strange's family? I'm thinking about raising money to help the family pay for funeral expenses.

  • AHDOAH

    Posted Jan 20, 2007 4:17 pm PT

    Darth Raven is right!!!
    Finally someone who have high school knowlegde...
    Anyway they have deal this case in court.....

    But they should have known better if they actually graduated from high school

  • Dante565

    Posted Jan 20, 2007 2:33 pm PT

    I knew about that water poisoning condition from drinking too much water and I think they should be sent to jail for that because I believe they both knew that she may have had problems doing from doing that sort of challenge. darth-revan nice scientific analysis.

  • zintarr

    Posted Jan 20, 2007 12:56 pm PT

    darth-revan, that is way to complicated for most people here. Just say that if you drink to much water, or anything else, at some point your kidneys will fail and you will die.

  • thatkidfromnj

    Posted Jan 20, 2007 9:27 am PT

    For everyone who is saying that the woman should have known better. In the above article they talk about how the Dj's joked about other people dying from drinking to much water which means they should have at least realized there was a potential for danger to the contestants. What really got me was there comment that it was ok because they signed releases after a woman called them up to warn them! If that isn't negligence I don't know what is. I guess hind sites a ****

  • Blazer88

    Posted Jan 20, 2007 9:19 am PT

    Should be no could about it, they clearly knew it was dangerous. I hope they go to jail.

  • darth-revan

    Posted Jan 20, 2007 8:05 am PT

    ill explain it in scientific terms-

    when you drink water the cells in your body take it in and push salt and other stuff out. eventually you will drink to the point where your cells cant push anything else out and they will pop. i imagine thats what happened to that woman.

    nurakhtaarati, before you start saying anything about what im saying im just trying to make it so everyone understands lt. most dont know what a hypertonic, hypotonic or isotonic solution is. (i also get them confused a lot, except the isotonic where your body is at equilibrium).

  • Cainekass29

    Posted Jan 20, 2007 6:33 am PT

    The whole situation is bad. Your body is 90% water can't you fill it up with water? WTF

  • Nurakhtaarati

    Posted Jan 20, 2007 3:13 am PT

    Water, at least distilled water, i believe is a hypotonic solution (or hypertonic, i can never remember which way).

    When the water is absorbed by your stomach, it enters your blood stream Distilled water is a higher concentrated substance than that which composes your red blood cells.

    B/C of a couple of matters (osmotic pressure being one i believe) since the pressure inside the cells is less, the higher concentrated solution moves to the area that has a lower concentration, being your RBC's. With all the water flooding in to your cells, they lyse (explode). I'm not sure if that's exactly what happened to that poor woman, but that's one possible way water can kill. It sounded like she drank and appropriate amount in a short enough time to have that affect.

    I hope those responsible are punished accordingly..... They certainly deserve time in a correctional facility for the sheer stupidity of the stunt they pulled.

    Best wishes to her children, who were left behind.... I think the acting judge should put their sentence (if they're charged, which they should be me thinks) in the hands of the woman's family..

  • osxgp

    Posted Jan 20, 2007 2:04 am PT

    First of all, I feel bad for her family. Secondly, people need to quit doing stupid stunts that can risk their life just to win money or prizes.

  • QuoBi

    Posted Jan 19, 2007 10:51 pm PT

    it would be my thoughts to vomit the water up after the contest is over, especially if i was a woman. (being a man i probably would do stupid things like trying to be all cool and not getting rid of that belly ache)

  • SEr_803

    Posted Jan 19, 2007 10:36 pm PT

    djs are hit

  • GrgSpunk

    Posted Jan 19, 2007 10:01 pm PT

    "Your body is 98 percent water, why can't you take in as much water as you want?"

    Oh, I don't know, maybe your bladder or intestines could rupture... Maybe the salts and other electrolytes in your body could become heavily diluted, thus disrupting vital chemical functions... You definitely should have done your research indeed.

    Morons like these make me sick.

  • unrealboss201

    Posted Jan 19, 2007 8:18 pm PT

    Heres my two cents.

    If I had you sign a waver making you unable to hold me liable for anything in say....
    Russian Rullete. Lets say you blow your brains out.

    I can still be charged for watching you commit suicide... In every way they can say I "could have" prevented them from shooting themselves in the face.

    Now lets tone it down in the grey area... If it worked in the extreme black and white section, why will it not work in the lesser grey part?

  • ryanstoy91

    Posted Jan 19, 2007 6:11 pm PT

    Listening to that audio was just sickening to me how they could just laugh at the situation with no guilty conscious.

  • SimuLord

    Posted Jan 19, 2007 5:18 pm PT

    Looks like the next "hold your wee" contest will have to be sponsored by Gatorade...or maybe Slim-Fast. Something with nutritional value or electrolytes, anyway.

  • hoverboy

    Posted Jan 19, 2007 5:01 pm PT

    Buy-bye lame terrestrial radio DJ's. Btw KDND DJ's all have that same "I'm-way-cooler-than-you'll-ever-be" attitude. Those tapes pretty much say it all. Bad, bad idea all around.

    Howard Stern FTW!!!

    BABABOOEY

  • rasterror

    Posted Jan 19, 2007 3:48 pm PT

    If you drink too eat much food you can die right? So why can't you die from too much water? Why do you think your body tries dispose of this? Obviously it musts not be that great seeing that your body likes to get rid of poison. If something hurts that means it's not good for your body. Here's another great showcase of the Great American Blame instead of saying gee that person should have really thought about what they were really doing or their actions were truly stupid. People please learn to take responsibility for your own lives and actions UNLESS you defininately know that it was someone elses fault. Come on people wisen up for crying out loud.

  • Da-Chicken

    Posted Jan 19, 2007 2:14 pm PT

    Hmmm...if this were a different sort of "drinking contest," it wouldn't be so moronic...if you understand what I'm getting at. Or rather, it would be moronic in a different sort of way. But less likely to be a slow, painful death; plus, anyone that would enter this "drinking contest" would know the dangers associated with it.

  • PixyMisao

    Posted Jan 19, 2007 2:08 pm PT

    They aren't directly responsible, but I'm glad that they could be held accountable. Hopefully this kills a lot of this radio BS that only Howard Stern seems to know how to do correctly, if at least for a while.

  • tigerous

    Posted Jan 19, 2007 1:54 pm PT

    Glad they finally are looking into criminal charges. There is definite grounds for bot criminal charges and a wrongful death lawsuit.

  • aldrenar47

    Posted Jan 19, 2007 1:39 pm PT

    Oni:
    "Oh and, um ... Most anything ingested in huge amounts can be fatal no??"

    That is correct. Anything can end your life if you take enough of it. Water, food, vitamins, medicine.... anything. It should be obvious if you think about it, but I guess most people don't think about it. There is a famous quote:

    "Everything is poison, there is poison in everything. Only the dose makes a thing not a poison". -Paracelsus (the "father" of toxicology)

  • Elyoshi

    Posted Jan 19, 2007 1:31 pm PT

    Who honestly knows what the hell water poisoning is? ALOT of people would completely look over this, this woman probably had no idea this would be harmful, since hey, its water.

    In any consumption contest though, its a really stupid move not to consult medical experts and have medics there as the event is happening.

  • GreenGoblin2099

    Posted Jan 19, 2007 9:47 am PT

    Well they didn't make jokes about that woman dying uh?? The woman died at home, which means that in the eyes of the public she was just fine while the contest took place.

  • mcginnism

    Posted Jan 19, 2007 9:33 am PT

    From the audio...
    'Maybe we should have researched this'

    Ya think?

    For those who say the station shouldn't be held responsible. The station held a contest that was potentially life-threatening (all eating contests are) without having medical personell monitoring it. They made jokes and sold advertising while someone was killing themselves on their show.

    I'm pretty sure thats a case for criminal negligence. If not, where do we draw the line? It would be illegal for a radio station to hold a 'chop off your left arm for a PS3' contest, (even with release forms). So why is this different?

  • screamingdean

    Posted Jan 19, 2007 9:18 am PT

    How many people have actually heard of water intoxication? Or know how it's caused? And those that don't are stupid? If anyone believes that it's alright for stupid people to die they're no better than the Nazis who believed the same thing. Your intelligence does not define your rights. I'd be careful what some of you post and what Gamespot allows to be posted, it's turning into a fascist frenzy!

  • Dups79

    Posted Jan 19, 2007 8:45 am PT

    Once again no worries. You are never responsible for oyur own actions. It's always some else's fault! God bless America

  • GreenGoblin2099

    Posted Jan 19, 2007 8:27 am PT

    Those poor kids are now mother-less all thanks to the idiocy of the DJ's responsible for the contest. Thank God they've been sacked. Who knows what was next... the "How long can you hold your excrement in for a PS3" contest. Absolutely mind-numbing.

    But who's far more "idiot"?? the ones who made the contest or the ones who entered the contest?? hell!! If that contest you mention to win a PS3 ever happens, and if people die because of it... they will damn sure deserve it because only a moron would do that.

  • zintarr

    Posted Jan 19, 2007 8:23 am PT

    subrosian WROTE:
    Suddenly, because these guys joked around (which... I think anyone would do with this kind of contest "oh man... these people are going to explode... ha ha ha I bet they'll wet their pants" - I mean essentially they're hoping people will wet themselves since that makes for "good" talk radio)


    Please educate yourself just a bit and read up on Involuntary manslaughter.

    subrosian WROTE:
    And they owe this woman's kids nothing.

    You really are a fool.

  • SpookyX

    Posted Jan 19, 2007 8:01 am PT

    I just wish you people that are saying its the woman's fault would read more.

    1 - She did not sign a waiver other than one that said they could use the contest for publicity. Nothing on it about possible hazards.

    2 - They knowingly continued the contest even after they voiced concerns themselves and a nurse called in to warn the DJs. 3 - The contestants were not in the same room as the DJs so they could not even hear the DJs or the nurse that called in talking about this might be dangerous.

    4 - Do you realize all the contestants could have died?

    We will see what the district attorney and possibly a jury decide.

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