TEEN MOWED DOWN (SHOT) OVER LAWN Just killed a kid, man tells 911

The Winnipeg Sun ^ | March 21, 2006 | AP

[beaversmom]

BATAVIA, Ohio -- A man who neighbours say was devoted to his meticulously kept lawn is charged with murder in the shooting of a 15-year-old boy who apparently walked across his yard.

Charles Martin, 66, of Union Township, near this city about 30 kilometres east of Cincinnati, shot next-door neighbour Larry Mugrage in the chest with a shotgun about 3:30 p.m. Sunday, police said. The youth was pronounced dead at hospital.

Martin was being held without bond yesterday in Clermont County Jail. Police said he told them he had several disputes about neighbours walking on his lawn. But Union Township police Lieut. Scott Gaviglia said Martin had no criminal history and last called police in 2003.

Martin called 911 on Sunday, saying in a calm voice: "I just killed a kid."

He also tells the dispatcher: "It's been going on for five years ... I've been harassed by him and his parents for five years. Today just blew it up."

STUNS NEIGHBOURHOOD

The deadly shooting stunned those in the neighbourhood and students at Glen Este High School, where Martin was a freshman, and grief counsellors were on hand yesterday.

"I think there's a great deal of shock, for two reasons: because of the age of the victim and just how this occurred, killed over some grass," Gaviglia said.

Neighbours said Martin lived alone quietly, often sitting out in front of his one-storey home with its neat lawn, well-trimmed shrubbery and flag pole with U.S. and navy flags flying.

In his fenced backyard, he had several birdhouses and a shed painted like a small red barn with white trim.

[wolfpat]

Hey! All my hangers go the same way. (That's the only way they'll go on the bar)

[opinionator]

I always like to keep an old knife handy. Whenever I shoot a kid I put the knife in his hand. No one's walked on my lawn since '98.

[SR 50]

ping

[durasell]

It's a sad thing. A tragedy. And a crime that can't be justified. However, if you dwell on grim parade of these that happen far too often, you'll go mad without humor.

[monocle]

You sound suspciously like a Muslim. In weaving carpets, an imperfection is intentionally included since only Allah could make a perfect carpet.

[Tennessee_Bob]

Finally - a school system that doesn't believe in social promotion.

[durasell]

He could have put the gun near the sleeping mexican or lawn jockey statues, then when the police showed up said, "Yeah, it was a black guy and a spanish guy. I didn't see which was the shooter."

[Rte66]

Bruce Dern in the movie "'Burbs"

[Tennessee_Bob]

All my hangers go the same way.

Mine do too. Twelve years after getting out of the Air Force, almsot twenty two years out of basic training, and I'm still worried that a Training Instructor will come out of nowhere and chew me out for having my clothes hanging wrong. Some habits are hard to break, you know?

[Free Baptist]

There is a point about protecting property. There are even times when force must be used to protect and maintain property rights. And sometimes it brings some bodily harm, because if we allow the denegration of the principles of private property, we will end up with no property rights, and the next generation will not understand the principles of private property in a free society. When you have a generation who is socialized in their thinking to the point that they have just given up private property principles, wow(!), look out. We think that Eminent Domain is being abused now?! Just wait till the next generation has fully accepted socialism. We see it already in the Philippines, where the principles and importance of private property have not been taught at all to the past two generations, and so the people have accepted the travesties of communistic land reform policies, where nobody can get rid of squatters on their land, etc., etc., etc.

All that being said, NOBODY'S green lawn is worth the life of ANYBODY. The boy was not a squatter on that lawn, he was a pest and an irritant, and probably could have used some time in the county jail (perhaps along with his parents), for violating the private property rights of the lawn owner. NO fenced golf course is worth the life of ANYBODY, either, I care not how much money is invested into its maintenance.

The killer had other options; he had legal recourse that would have cost him much less grief and expense than what this will cost him, obviously.

[freeangel]

Just scanning down the posts and see you are VERY wrong. Defending oneself from criminals is much different than this case. It's too bad you must not agree.

[chief_bigfoot]

You just had to bring up the coat hangers, didn't you.

[TravisABQ]

Simple lesson here:

Don't deliberately provoke people you know are crazy.

There are LOTS of people out there who are just a
tweak away from murder. And you don't always know who
they are.

Be careful, out there....

--Travis--

[BluH2o]

This individual (the lawn guy) had been provoked by this kid, his family, and likely other kids for five years. He has no previous police record ... bottom line, the guy snapped and killed the kid.
We had a rash of lawn damage occur in our neighborhood a few years back. Young teenagers (16 & 17 year old) were driving over lawns in the middle of the night, spinning their tires and throwing in a wheelie or two for good measure. It finally stopped when one of the punks side swiped a industrial strength mail box and tore up his car. If you're a home owner who takes pride in keeping your property up, this type of hooliganism can make you angry as hell. Have to say I harbored a few dark thoughts of my own upon upon waking up one summer morning and surveying the damage done to my lawn by some idiot kid (s) with an automobile.

[Sometimes A River]

It's called a pre-emptive strike.

[PAMadMax]

I try to maintain a nice lawn..but the reason is not for show. Kids playing on the lawn is the ultimate sense of satisfaction. My lawn is not for show, but use. Ask my seven-year old and his buddies.

[opinionator]

There are even times when force must be used to protect and maintain property rights.

You better have a long talk with your lawyer. Courts protect our property rights, not guns.

This applies to most other rights also. I don't want to read about you shooting some guy over your right to 'free speech'.

[SLB]

The killer had other options; he had legal recourse that would have cost him much less grief and expense than what this will cost him, obviously.

Mr Martin had other recourse, however in the atmosphere of the court room today there is probably a 50/50 chance of a ruling against him. A few of those rulings and soon you will have your front door open to anyone who needs to use the bathroom and just happens to be walking by. The courts are loosing their concept of the rights of landowners, no matter if it is a land baron rancher in Texas with thousands of acres or someone in a brownstone in Harlem, they all have basic landowner rights which include the rights of privacy (no trespassing on others property).

In this case I would have to assume (I hate that word as it does make an ass out of u and me) the kids parents did nothing about it although they had been warned. Just a little discipline here and that young man would be in class today rather than at a funeral home. Okay, folks you all just flame away.

[mc6809e]

This killer will be defended on here, post haste.

It's ashame the police thought his conflict with this kid was unimportant.

I mean, the whole point of police and laws is avoid problems like this. The kid knows he shouldn't be on the lawn. That's the law. The police should apply force, if necessary to stop him. That's the law, too.

So this guy is miserable for 5 years because the law didn't work for him. And the kid knew it wasn't working for him. That's why he kept doing it.

So what's this old-timer supposed to do? He has no outs. He's being exploited because he constrains himself to the law and the kid is not constrained by the law.

Sure, the old-timer went to far. But I don't think there'd be any problem with the guy giving that kid a punch in the mouth. The kid can't expect to treat others with incivility and not get incivility back.

[Sometimes A River]

Well at least no other kids will be crossing HIS lawn now!

Anyways, when I was a child, and if I did something to make a neighbor cross, and kept on doing it, contrary to their instructions, I would have paid dearly!

Nwoadays parents back their children up all the time, no matter how they behave.