I don’t know the full facts of this case but I have to question why the kid was in his garage in the first place.
Allegedly, the "German" (actually Turkish) exchange student was looking for alcohol to steal.
This case is pretty cut and dry. The homeowner made it clear to witnesses that he was setting a "mantrap" in response to previous thefts by intentionally leaving his garage open and lying in wait with a shotgun for whomever entered. And, well... that's not legal.
The “kid” was a man and in the garage to steal. That said SYG laws still require that you have a reasonable fear for your safety. The homeowner in question could not even see the thief when he started firing blindly into the garage. Legally the guy was in the wrong. From a moral standpoint, were I a juror, I wouldn’t want to see the guy get 70 years for executing a thief.
“I don’t know the full facts of this case but I have to question why the kid was in his garage in the first place.”
The home owner protected his $4.00 six-pack of Old Milwaukee and the only price he will pay is the $100,000 he paid his lawyer and 70 years in the State Pen.
Sounds like a great investment.
“I don’t know the full facts of this case but I have to question why the kid was in his garage in the first place.”
Apparently stealing stuff out of open garages is a popular pastime among local youths. So, Mr Homeowner got mad because his stuff got stolen, including, if I remember correctly, some marijuana. He then, again, as I recall, left his garage door open on purpose, waited for someone to come in and steal his stuff and went out and shot him.
Not at all related to “stand your ground” laws but more pushing (apparently past) the limits of Montana’s “castle doctrine” laws.
It has everything to do with a serial thief and an idiotic over reacting homeowner.
To invite him to a Bible study class he was starting.
The kid was taking burglar bait and may well have burgled the place before. The home owner set it up with a partially open garage door the killed the punk when he entered the garage. Owner’s big mistake wa that he and girl friend boasted about baiting for the burgla. Punk kid got what he had coming but home owner is going to pay dearly for it though I could not have voted to convict.