Published on: January 2, 2025, 07:05h.
Last updated on: January 2, 2025, 07:06h.
Disturbing videos shared on Facebook by Michigan poker player Craig Michael Bergeron just before he allegedly murdered a stranger suggest he was struggling with a mental illness and losing control.
35-year-old Bergeron, from Saline, Mich., was taken into custody on Christmas Eve and charged with first-degree murder, two counts of felony firearm, and felon in possession of a firearm for the death of 37-year-old Tommy Ireland on December 23 in Detroit.
Bergeron, known online as “hu4rollz,” left the crime scene in a white SUV, according to authorities. He later assaulted another victim nearby, police stated.
Ireland’s family, who held a vigil in his honor, expressed disbelief that the perpetrator was not known to the victim and questioned the motive behind the killing. They described Ireland as a kind-hearted person who was loved by all.
Paranoid Posts
In a video posted on Facebook shortly before the alleged murder, Bergeron is seen driving alone in Detroit and exhibiting paranoia about the police, as he points the camera towards a police car in a nearby lane.
“Look! They escort me out of Warren,” he shouts, referring to the Detroit suburb. “They escort me out of Warren!”
On the day before the incident, Bergeron posted several confusing videos on Facebook, including one where he appears sincerely frightened.
They pulled a gun on me! They pulled a gun on me!” he exclaims. “You gotta flash your lights. We gotta go to my house. Hey. Please. I’m sorry. Please.”
Past Glories
Although Bergeron has been absent from the live poker scene for about five years, he has accumulated over $1.3 million in tournament winnings, as per the Hendon Mob Database. In 2010, he finished fourth at the EPT Deauville for $312,853, and the following year he secured a World Series of Poker Circuit ring.
Members on the 2+2 forums who knew Bergeron from the poker community were shocked by his arrest and remembered him as a compassionate person who once traveled to Vancouver to assist a friend struggling with addiction.
“When he was young and affluent, he was always generous and caring towards friends and acquaintances,” wrote one forum member. “To see him go down this path and meet this fate is truly tragic.”