Posted on 09/29/2019 1:00:42 PM PDT by Innovative
James Michael Meyer was charged with murder in the shooting at his home.
Authorities say a 72-year-old Dallas man fatally shot a suspected burglar behind his home and then went back to bed before finally calling police nearly two hours later.
The Dallas Morning News reports that James Michael Meyer has been charged with murder in the Thursday killing and was jailed on $150,000 bail as of Friday.
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...
If that person was coming at him with a pick axe it was self defense at that point. A pick axe is indeed a deadly weapon.
If he didn’t know he hit the guy then going to bed doesn’t make him a murderer. I would have called LEO anyway but doesn’t mean he is a murderer that he thought otherwise.
Sweet dreams.
#1 Rule: Don’t talk to police!
Never forget Rule #1!
Another case of a person with a gun but without any knowledge of the laws.
Don’t shoot at a suspect running away.
Don’t touch, much less dispose of evidence (spent brass).
Not calling 911 immediately indicates to the cops that you don’t really care about a guy dying on your watch.
Either the shooter is totally ignorant of his responsibilities under the law or there is more to this story.
—
Also, beyond the initial call, don’t talk to police. Second call to lawyer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq344ks1ieg
Yeahn, but the only thread any claim could be made to post it...
At 72 he can claim he needed a nap after all that excitement, if he hasn’t said something incriminating.
Yeah, lot of good points there.
They will be able to tell which side (front or back) the bullet entered from.
Thus was he approaching or moving away from the shooter?
When You Can Kill in Texas | TIME.com
Search domain nation.time.com/2013/06/13/when-you-can-kill-in-texas/nation.time.com/2013/06/13/when-you-can-kill-in-texas/
Last Wednesday, a Texas jury ruled that his actions were legal. That’s because Texas penal code contains an unusual provision that grants citizens the right to use deadly force to prevent someone “who is fleeing immediately after committing burglary, robbery, aggravated robbery, or theft during the nighttime from escaping with the property.”
Doesn’t matter!!
When You Can Kill in Texas | TIME.com
Search domain nation.time.com/2013/06/13/when-you-can-kill-in-texas/nation.time.com/2013/06/13/when-you-can-kill-in-texas/
Last Wednesday, a Texas jury ruled that his actions were legal. That’s because Texas penal code contains an unusual provision that grants citizens the right to use deadly force to prevent someone “who is fleeing immediately after committing burglary, robbery, aggravated robbery, or theft during the nighttime from escaping with the property.”
from escaping with the property
*************
For sure this one didn’t.......
He didn't know whether he hit the person so he went back to bed, an arrest warrant affidavit said. After sunrise, he said he saw the person lying on the ground.
He told investigators he threw the spent shell casings in the trash.
From the article quoted above.
He didn't think he'd hit the perp when he tossed the shells. People don't have night vision; how could he have known that he dropped the perp after he ran off? Who would wander out in the night to find somebody who had just threatened him? He assumed the guy bugged out, that he wouldn't be back,and so he cleaned the shells and went back to bed. No jury should convict.
You’re right - he should have at least thrown a couple of bags of lime on the deceased crook to keep the flies away.
Exactly. The Best they can get him for is negligent homicide. Prosecutors might be intentionally losing this case?
You're quoting some shyster lawyer's blurp about "Stand Your Ground", which is not applicable in your home. That comes under "Castle Doctrine", and what I stated was straight from the AG on a newscast on Alaska's number one TV station. So once again, per the AG, if you shoot someone in your home, even in the back as they're trying to leave, you will not be charged with anything under Alaska law.
The charge is probably 2nd degree murder but for a different reason: depraved indifference.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depraved-heart_murder?wprov=sfti1
Going back to bed (instead of immediately calling the police) showed an indifference to whether or not the person the victim shot was wounded and might die from the gunshot wound. No duty to run after him, no duty to render aid but notifying the police would have brought officers who were trained to do these things and would have demonstrated concern.
My personal view is that the home owner opened up a big can of trouble for himself the moment he went outside to confront the burgler. This comment is not about what is permitted by the law but about controlling the factors that can escalate the situation. The home owner (and his wife) were safe inside, he had armed himself for personal protection, he had access to communications, and he had good situational awareness. He probably could have stopped the crime by calling 911 and then yelling at the burgler that the cops were on their way. If the burgler then decided to attack the homeowner, there would be no doubt about the necessity of shooting. As it was, going outside turned a property crime into a confrontation.
Again, this comment is not about what is permitted under the law. And it sure as heck isn’t about saving the burgler’s worthless life. It is about handling the situation in a way that protects your safety and minimizes the amount of hassle to you. Even if this turns out to be a “good shooting,” it is still going to do a lot of damage to the victim. The bail bond is $150k. The bondman’s fee is usually 10%; that’s $15k nonrefundable. Was there anything in that shed remotely worth $15k?
And this is just the beginning...
“Texas law also allows you to use deadly force in response to theft and criminal mischief, but only in the nighttime and provided you meet the other requirements to protect your property. So, what is the nighttime? Nighttime is defined as 30 minutes after sunset up through 30 minutes before sunrise. What’s criminal mischief? Criminal mischief is when someone intentionally or knowingly damages, destroys, marks, or tampers with your tangible property or deprives you of its value. What’s theft? A person commits theft when they unlawfully appropriate your property, with the intent to deprive you of your property. Remember: if you encounter criminal mischief or theft during the daytime, you may only respond with force, not deadly force.”
https://www.uslawshield.com/day-and-night-murder-or-self-defense-tx/
Even then after, you are open to civil action.
1. He should have shut up until he got a lawyer.
2. He shot “into the dark” as a warning with no intent to do anything but scare off the burglar AFTER he yelled a warning.
NOT GUILTY.
His stupidity was (1) not calling 911 immediately (2) not talking to a lawyer before talking to police.
The police are NOT there to help you. Ever. Sad to say.
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