Attorney: Man Protected Home (NM shooting kills two teen girls)

The Albuquerque Journal ^ | February 14, 2007 | Leslie Linthicum

[rabidralph]

I know that, Bull Squat. It's an illustration of a person with a faux French-African name who is not a low-life. Your cousin, on the other hand...

[Centurion2000]

Reportedly Gallegos broke into the house because she needed to use the bathroom. ...

too proud to stoop

[CedarDave]

The circumstances as depicted in this thread differ radically from information just released by the magistrate court in Guadalupe County.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1786021/posts

I suggest everyone read that thread before posting further here.

simplymissi, my condolences and those here on Free Republic on the loss of your cousin. As you say, they were wrong in what they did, but in no way deserved what happened to them.
As the facts come out we have to trust in both the integrity of law enforcement and our court system to bring justice in this instance. May God bless you and your family as you work your way through this tragedy.

[Centurion2000]

You can't use lethal force for trespassing.

That's why it's called Breaking and Entering.

[Centurion2000]

home-invasion robbery

You said it right there. Broken glass, attempted entry = Home invasion.

[Centurion2000]

The complaint says that Page then walked outside his home and confronted Dodge, who pleaded with him not to shoot her.

According to the complaint, Page told police he shot Dodge in the abdomen and “finished” her off by shooting her in the head after she already had fallen to the ground.

Yeah, that's a lot different. He's toast.

[wideawake]

I wonder if the cousin knows who burned down the house.

[greyfoxx39]

Since when is scaring someone a capital offense? This guy was looking for an excuse.

[art_rocks]

Thats why the coroner's report will be very important for the second victim. If he states both wounds were from a long distance, the shooter might have a defense. If the coroner states one from a long distance and one up close, the guy will be on death row, justifiably.

[Centurion2000]

Since when is scaring someone a capital offense? This guy was looking for an excuse.

In Texas, criminal tresspass can be responded to with lethal force. Breaking windows makes it B&E which can be responded to with lethal force.

Now in this case after reading the other thread on this, he's probably going up for murder2.

[robertpaulsen]

Well, IF the guy is a few sandwiches short of a picnic, IF there's a history of teens harassing him, IF partying teens have caused damage to his property in the past, it is possible that the guy just snapped. You can't just keep poking a stick at a guy like that.

If true, and if I'm on that jury, I'd be hard pressed to convict on murder. Manslaughter, maybe.

If he would have gone over to their party and started blasting away, different story. I'll go get the rope. But the teens really brought this on themselves. Yes, they got more than they deserved. Hence the manslaughter charge.

[greyfoxx39]

He was scared for his own life. It was self defense. -snip-

The man had no criminal record of any kind before this happened. They have ruined his life. He's the real victim here.

That said, if the second girl was begging for her life, the threat real or imagined, seems to have been over....I still think he executed her. And, if I were he, I would get out of dodge as soon as I could. Has he been bonded out?

[NRA2BFree]

That said, if the second girl was begging for her life, the threat real or imagined, seems to have been over....I still think he executed her. And, if I were he, I would get out of dodge as soon as I could. Has he been bonded out?

I agree with you 100%. The man told the police that he "finished her off" by shooting her in the head, after he shot her in the stomach. "Finishing someone off," who is unarmed and not a threat to his safety, is cold blooded murder! She was begging him not to kill her, and he did it anyway!

The first information that came out was completely wrong. Those little girls were foolish, no matter what the reason was that they went to his house, and they paid dearly for it. I'm sure in their intoxicated minds that it was no more than a prank that they thought would get laughs from their friends. A prank gone terribly wrong, and it cost them their lives. I have a feeling there's much more to this story and when the cops have interviewed the other 2 who got away, hopefully, it will get out. This is a bizarre crime, to say the least.

No, he has not bonded out. The state ordered a mental evaluation for him. When that's done, he's still being held under a million dollar bond.

[Charlespg]

just to inform all... Tenika Dodge and Yvonne Gallegos were both hispanic... I know this because Yvonne is my cousin... and the news isn't saying everything that happened... yes they broke in... that's wrong... I know... and he did have the right to protect his home... but unfortunately no body in town claims to have known that anyone lived there... regardless of whether she had to pee or not... if you didnt think anyone lived in a house... you wouldn't have knocked... now... if it were me... i would have gone by a tree... but that's beside the point... as far as him pleading self defense for both murders... i find it highly unlikely because he shot both girls TWICE... yvonne in the chest and head, and Tenika in the knee and head... how would you explain that SELF DEFENSE?!?!?!?!

If what you say is true this guy needs to swing,But I will wait and see what the facts are.