Posted on 11/17/2025 6:04:23 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum
LEBANON, Ind. (AP) — An Indiana homeowner accused of killing a house cleaner who mistakenly arrived at his front door was charged with voluntary manslaughter on Monday in a case that could test the limits of stand-your-ground laws.
Curt Andersen, 62, could face anywhere from 10 to 30 years in prison and a $10,000 fine if he’s convicted. He was being held in the Boone County Jail pending an initial court hearing.
Officers found Maria Florinda Rios Perez De Velasquez, 32, dead on the front porch of a home in Whitestown, an Indianapolis suburb, on Nov. 5. Authorities said the Guatemalan immigrant was part of a cleaning crew that went to the wrong house just before 7 a.m.
Andersen shot her through the front door with no warning about a minute after hearing someone trying to unlock the door, according to a probable cause statement.
Rios’ husband told media outlets that he was with her on the porch. He didn’t realize she had been shot until she fell back into his arms, bleeding. On a fundraising page, her brother described Rios as a mother of four children.
Case puts stand-your-ground law in the spotlight
Indiana is one of 31 states with a stand-your-ground law that permits homeowners to use deadly force to stop someone they believe is trying to unlawfully enter their dwelling. But police said that there’s no evidence Rios entered the home before she was shot.
Andersen’s attorney, Guy Relford, posted a statement on X saying he was disappointed that prosecutors charged his client. He said Andersen had every reason to believe his actions were justified and the stand-your-ground law clearly protects him.
“Mr. Andersen’s actions must be evaluated based on the circumstances as he perceived them,” Relford said in the statement.
Boone County Prosecutor Kent Eastwood told reporters at a news conference...
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
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She was on the man's property. That should be enough.
Good. It’s about time. I have been waiting for this. What is the matter with yelling through the door, what do you want? And upon hearing your cleaning lady is here, telling here you have the wrong house and sorting it out? You don’t shoot her like some cave man.
“Andersen shot her through the front door with no warning about a minute after hearing someone trying to unlock the door, according to a probable cause statement.”
If true, that’s murder in every state.
Always double-check the address in Indiana
She was on the man’s property. That should be enough.
***********
You are a heathen.
Case puts be-a-dumbass in the spotlight.
What?
Again?
“You are a heathen.”
If you disagree with stand-your-ground laws, by all means make your point. But don’t attack me. I’m a patriot and a gun owner.
Different shooting.
Michigan man charged after fatally shooting teen who broke into garage
In general, the public can legally access private property — including a front porch — for a legitimate purpose until they are told to leave, Madeira said. For example, a homeowner can’t legally shoot a pizza delivery person or an Amazon driver just for stepping onto their property, she said.
No malice no premeditation.
Plea bargain - Sentence and Parole him.
If the cleaning people are illegals, deport the husband too.
Except she was TRYING to enter the house, which the law allows for. The law does not mandate that the person be IN the house by the wording of *trying* to enter the house.
Should’ve stayed in Guatemala.
Remind me not to let any kids visit your house trick-or-treating. Good grief. Enjoy spending the rest of your life in prison after murdering the next person placing a door hanger.
Well, dang...
Seems like being a house cleaner is becoming a hazardous occupation!
Stand your ground is reasonable. Murdering people who make an honest mistake and wind up on your doorstep is not. And if you are too stupid to sort out the difference between the two you have no business owning a gun.
“She was on the man’s property. That should be enough.”
Yep, enough to get you a murder charge in every state.
Rule #1: Identify your target before pulling the trigger.
Can't identify a target on the other side of a door.
Negligent homicide in my opinion, but IANAL.
A panicky coward with a gun but this article below at least explains why as a weak man, in his mind he did what he was capable of doing, if his version is truthful then a jury has to try and see it through his eyes and sentencing has to take his panicky nature into consideration.
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