Posted on 04/24/2014 11:07:12 AM PDT by Uncle Chip
LITTLE FALLS, Minn. — A Minnesota man who killed two teenagers who broke into his home can be heard on an audio recording talking to himself for hours after the shooting and at one point, apparently describing the slain teens as "vermin."
Byron Smith, of Little Falls, faces first-degree premeditated murder charges in the deaths of 18-year-old Haile Kifer and 17-year-old Nick Brady on Thanksgiving Day in 2012. Smith, 65, claimed he was defending himself and feared for his life after several break-ins at his home.
Prosecutors, though, say Smith planned the killings. They say he sat in a chair in his basement and waited for the teens to enter his home, instead of calling police.
Smith waited a full day after he shot them before asking a neighbor to call the authorities....
The killings stunned this central Minnesota community and stirred debate about how far people can go to defend their homes. Under Minnesota law, a person may use deadly force to prevent a felony from taking place in one's home or dwelling, but authorities have said Smith crossed a line when he continued to shoot the teens after they were no longer a threat.
Authorities who searched Smith's home after the killings testified Wednesday that they found an audio recorder that was turned on and an operating video surveillance system. The recorder was sitting on top of books on a bookshelf, near a chair where prosecutors say Smith waited for the teens....
Prosecutors also showed images from surveillance cameras that Smith had set up outside his home. The four different camera angles showed Smith leaving his home in his truck at 11:25 a.m. on the day of the killings, then returning on foot at 11:45.
At 12:33 p.m., Brady shows up in a hooded, camouflage jacket ...
(Excerpt) Read more at bostonherald.com ...
No. If I had the drop on an intruder the way Smith did, I would hold him at handgunpoint and tell him that I am calling the police, and that if he runs I am shooting.
Sounds like Mr. Smith did the community a huge favor.
Not really. He could have sent them to prison and not made 2A advocates look like drooling psychopaths.
Instead, he sent the community the message that human life is valueless and that citizens cannot be trusted to act responsibly with firearms.
The only "communities" he helped were Planned Parenthood and the Brady Campaign.
I wasn’t in his shoes and don’t know how the old guy was thinking but I’m thinking he was scared enough to just make sure they were dead and it was his word against their bodies.
As far as combat is concerned and CQB in an environment like falluja with wounded laying around that may have weapons or body charges , some wounded are cared for and maybe sometimes they move funny and adrenalin takes over. But that’s what NCOs and officers are for to act as police. This old guy was by himself without that luxury. Maybe he got worried that he didn’t make a righteous shooting and wanted his words to be the only ones heard.
That is completely contrary to the evidence that he gave verbally, the audiotape of his activities that he made, and the forensic evidence at the scene.
He was not afraid, he was in complete control, and was waiting eagerly for the opportunity to do what he did.
Quite possibly. There is, however, a word that describes a killing committed in order to silence witnesses. That word is murder.
After a fight, any fight the winner can walk away. That's all that really matters. 10-20 years from now, nobody will remember what happened only that society wasn't burdened with the offspring of parasitic criminals and that the family of the old guy was happy he lived after living through a home invasion.
I suspect it's like living through any firefight.... years later nobody cares what tactics, how much ammo or if you "fought fair"... only thing that matters is that you lived and your opponent died.
You and the others condemning this old guy I hope realize that he isn't going around randomly killing teenagers. He isn't going to be released into the public and then teenagers going to school or hanging out are going to be killed. He's going to be at home in his little patch of property and probably keeping to himself unless someone breaks into his house..... if it happens to be another pair of teenage burglars, then I suppose they would die also.
He can even say "I promise I have never and won't kill any teenager that stays off my property without my permission, so help me God". .... and be telling the truth.
I'm glad that we can disagree on this subject and feel that it shows what personal experiences and temperament does to a self defense and home invasion debate.
well there's his words and let's ask the burglars...."..." not much there. their silence is just ONE of the reasons they were shot. Breaking into his house, his fear, stealing from him, destroying his property. those are some of the other reasons why he may have shot them
I'd no bill him and get the county to pay for clean up and fumigation. He did everybody a favor but since the cops weren't doing their jobs and nobody helped him, he just fixed the problem. He didn't put a patch on the problem, didn't delay repair of the problem and didn't burden his neighbors with letting the problem get into their houses. He just fixed a problem permanently. Problem solved, no more burglaries from this pair of miscreants.
Lots of wasted time and money spent on these two. Money that could go for "educating the children" , "global warming/climate change research", "prenatal care", "paying for more police protection" or "infrastructure" instead of spending resources prosecuting an old man. hahahahahahaha God, I could be a democrat politician.
Dick, it's only a firefight if more than one person is firing.
he isn't going around randomly killing teenagers
Oh I agree with you, this killing was not random in the slightest.
If we believe his entire story as narrated by himself, he meticulously and carefully planned to kill these specific teenagers.
From his point of view, he had divine power over the life and death of these two teens because they broke in.
So I ask: what would he do if he believed that someone had deliberately cut him off in traffic and caused damage to his truck?
What would he do if he believed that his next door neighbor intentionally built a fence that crossed over his property line?
What would he do if a contractor took his money, did a terrible job, and refused to give him a refund?
We have here a man who believes that he is allowed to play God with anyone who crosses him, a man who has absolutely zero remorse or compunction about taking human lives.
His next killing, like his first, would not be random but it would be, like his first two that we know of, carefully planned and painstakingly executed for his maximum enjoyment and relish.
They aren't on trial, they are dead. The shooter is, for his own willful criminal acts.
Wow, cue the violins . The druggies broke into his house - not quite the act of your helpless little girl here. I don't care if he turned his lights off or parked his car away. Golly gee, I guess we all should leave a car in our driveways at all times and leave the lights blazing 24-7 or we deserve a free break in. Breaking and entering is an intentional, forceful act. You should change your name to buffalo chip.
Post #188 is for you —
Then there's another kind of person who sees the exact same thing and thinks: "She's no longer a threat, I have time to go into the next room and find another weapon, so I can stare her right in the eyes while she watches me deliver a killshot."
The former is a human being.
The latter, not so much.
We sheepdogs fight the wolves, and protect you ignorant, sheep, no matter how much you bleep at us, and even when you bluster.
That is my home page.
I am a lifelong sheepdog.
So your doing the name calling ? You must be the moron or imbecile ,as I see your from new jersey .
It's "you're."
rapist = Taking sex with consent = stealing
And you dig yourself deeper.
well gee, thank you for being both modest and effective at protecting me. You must have been the only guy in my neighborhood besides me that didn't have to choose between LK's and la Eme. Or maybe you went TDY with me to some nice spanish or tagalog speaking countries. I don't remember an Ansel but hey that was awhile back.
Make sure you get your sheepdog stickers and oath keeper stickers so everybody knows how important and brave you are. bwahahahahaha.
God forbid but if I ever really needed help I have about 2-3 "brothers" that would actually sack up and help me. They would give their lives for me as I would for them. I haven't seen a "sheepdog" blabber mouth, gear queer ever throw down for me. But hey, maybe someday our paths will cross and I'll need your help and we can see that protective instinct just kick in and save poor helpless me. That would be just worth another save for the sheepdog, eh?
LOL, you are one hysterical bag of emotions.
I know hahahahahahahaha.
One thing is true: if someone breaks into your house, you have no way of knowing whether that someone is a normal human being or a sadistic maniac. They are asking for trouble.
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