Posted on 04/22/2014 6:21:59 PM PDT by GrandJediMasterYoda
Minnesota Man Accused of Murdering Teens Who Entered His Home By GIO BENITEZ
The trial against a 65-year-old man accused of murdering two teens who entered his home is underway in Minnesota, stirring debate about how far people can go in defending their homes. Byron Smith, a retired security engineer for the U.S. Department of State, is charged with first-degree premeditated murder in the slayings of cousins Nick Brady, 17, and Haile Kifer, 16, on Thanksgiving Day 2012. The killings rocked the small city of Little Falls. Prosecutors say Smith was sitting in his basement when he heard a window breaking upstairs. When Brady started walking down the basement stairs, Smith shot him twice. Then, according to court documents, Smith shot Brady a third time in the face, allegedly telling investigators, “I want him dead.”
(Excerpt) Read more at gma.yahoo.com ...
My definition of self-defense is exceptionally broad. You trespass on a man’s property, all bets are off. Who knows what you might be planning? A homeowner is entitled to take precautions. And a coup de grace may sometimes be precautionary ... you know: if you are in fear for your life.
“two teens who entered his home”
They didn’t just enter his home, they broke a window to get in. He had reported break ins at his home previously to the police. The two had previously broke into several homes.
Just like I am waiting for some dumb bastard to break into my house and mean no good will to me or mine. It wont be in the report that, “I wanted them dead”, but that is the specific idea when I pull the trigger.’
Call it premeditation if you want to, but if I were you, I would not break into my house.
yup.
Guilty as sin, depraved
http://abcnews.go.com/US/minnesota-teens-killed-burglarizing-home-laid-rest/story?id=17857032
(MN) Defending your home: your rights as a homeowner
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3092388/posts
the law is not on his side here.
Did he LURE the teens into breaking his window and entering his house? How can they charge him with PREmeditated murder unless he committed an act that would ensure that the teens would break in?
I’m sorry that the teens are dead, but they are at fault -— plain and simple.
This story could just have easily been about a 69 year old man beaten to death in his own basement by a pair of teen-aged burglars.
IIRC the guy performed a coup de gras on the girl after he had injured her, then foolishly talked to the cops before speaking with a lawyer. They got statements out of him that indicate he shot them after he was out of danger.
My thoughts exactly. These people who are saying “Oh he shouldn’t have finished them off.” Have they ever seen someone get shot? It isn’t like the movies. People can get shot once, even multiple times and still be perfectly capable of pulling out a gun and pulling the trigger. This guy wanted them dead to make sure he was safe, and he had every right to do that! What’s the alternative? The alternative is you risk losing your life. Why take that risk? Screw that. These two punks deservred everything they got.
Premeditated murder? Did he invite them into the house with the intent of murdering them?
So what if he was? He'd been broken into four times already. Seems to me it's about time he got cut a little slack.
Perhaps it would have been prudent for him not to make that statement, but I don’t have a problem with him killing them IF he still felt his life was in danger.
Sooner or later this country will devolve to a lawless society where actions such as his will be the norm and will be tolerated, IMO. The impotence and indifference towards law abiding citizens by many in our our law enforcement agencies along with the arrogance and inequality now inherent in our legal system will mandate this eventuality, IMO.
So I wound both of them and latter they kill me and escape scott free. HHHHMMMMMMMM………...
My guess he did this because he was just sick and tired of being a victim of crime, being broken into and violated.
So, according to you, the guy is guilty because he took means to protect life and property!!!!
This wasn’t his first break in.....
Really curious what you two would do if some punk kids tried this with your house.
Maybe there are a whole bunch of us getting tired of perps being mollycoddled by the system.
Ridiculous. I wound them both but they over-power me anyway and kill me. And they escape scott free. Gee, maybe I should have just offed these two POS and shut up! You break in my house,….YOU DIE!
The prosecutor is alleging he took one too many shots?
I’d be neck deep in Kimchee.
There would be at least one empty mag if it were me.
Duty to retreat, absolutely ridiculous. Retreat while the homeowner gets a bullet in the back of the head or gets held at gunpoint while his wife and kid are raped. This would have been quite a different story if these two punks were found with guns on them or were suspected in a home invasion murder.
If I were a juror I’d discount what he said to cops as being under some duress, just by virtue of the stress of the incident. Things said under those heated conditions shouldn’t carry any special weight. If anything.... Things said to police immediately after events should be given a lesser priority. They’re usually wrong anyway.
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