Posted on 01/21/2012 7:34:02 AM PST by marktwain
The Allegheny Township homeowner who shot a man he thought was trying to get into his house in the middle of the night gave plenty of warnings and was "well within his legal rights" to pull the trigger, his attorney said.
Attorney Steven Passarello said Thursday his client, Timothy Lepore, and his wife were frightened for their lives as Brandon L. Zeth, 24, pounded on their windows and doors while screaming, "I'm coming in!" just after midnight Saturday morning on Cunningham Lane in Allegheny Township.
"Of course my client didn't know what the individual was there for, banging on the windows and acting aggressively," Passarello said.
Allegheny Township police have released scant details of the confrontation Jan. 14 at the Cunningham Lane home that left Zeth in critical condition at the Altoona Regional Health System from multiple gunshot wounds. No new condition report was available Thursday, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Passarello said there have been misinterpretations about what happened at Lepore's home in the past week, particularly since Zeth's family spoke with WTAJ-TV and said Zeth wasn't trying to break in but was intoxicated and thought he was at his girlfriend's house nearby.
Several attempts by the Mirror to contact Zeth's family were unsuccessful.
Passarello said that to the homeowner, it looked as if Zeth was there to do the couple harm.
It started with Zeth pounding on the front door, which woke the Lepore couple, who are in their 60s, with a start, Passarello said. Zeth was yelling he wanted to come inside. Zeth then moved to a living room window and rapped on it, all the while screaming that he was "coming in," the attorney said.
Passarello said when Zeth jumped onto a back deck, which had a locked entrance, and began yelling and banging on their bedroom
(Excerpt) Read more at altoonamirror.com ...
I suppose that's the best lie they can come up with after thinking about it for a couple of days, but they don't understand that simply saying "I wasn't trying to break in" doesn't invert history.
Come on in Hoss, but you won’t be walking out.
I don’t play with a 22.
A 12 gauge leaves a big mess in the front room, but it can be cleaned up.
I can see how that might lead to misinterpretation
Safety requires that if one is going to go beat up a girlfriend, not to go drunk because you may get wrong house?
Zeth's girlfriend should send Timothy Lepore a big plate of home made cookies and a thank you card. She might not realize it yet, but Tim did her one helluva favor.
Why is this couple even having to explain their defense of their home? Why did they have to go to court?
I cannot for the life of me understand this . . . Pennsylvania has the “Castle Doctrine” in law. Only reason I can see why this guy had to go to court was because the D.A. may be a Democrat.
Took a walk and passed your house
Late last night
All the shades were pulled and drawn
Way down tight
From within the dim light cast
Two silhouettes on the shade...
Lost control and rang your bell
I was SORE
Let me in or else —
*BANG*
If he had acted that way outside his girl friend’s house, she would have been justified in shooting him.
oh duh me...I just reread the article. thanks.
I think I’ll shut up now.
I don’t care what the drunk thought. If the story is accurate the home owner had every right to bust some caps into the asshat beating on his doors and windows. I must say that when I pictured the home owner’s 60 year old wife “cringing in the corner” as the drunk beat on the windows and screamed, I got a tad angry.
LOL!
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