Fox News
A Minnesota man charged with fatally shooting two teenagers who broke into his home has waived his right to testify at his trial in Morrison County.
Byron Smith told Judge Douglas Anderson that he had discussed the matter with his lawyer and opted not to take the stand.
The 65-year-old Little Falls man is on trial for first-degree premeditated murder. Smith claims he was defending himself and feared for his life after several break-ins.
The jury on Monday heard from Smith's brother, Bruce Smith, and two of the defendant's neighbors, 16-year-old Dylan Lange, and his mother, Kathleen Lange. They all testified that they know Smith to be an honest man.
Byron Smith has lived with the Lange family since the fatal shooting on Thanksgiving Day 2012.
Not seeing any details to analyze one way or the other, except he's being charged and tried--doesn't look like proof of castle doctrine laws being licenses to kill and get away with it like yall keep claiming.
ReplyDeleteThis is EXACTLY what the NRA has CONVINCED people of. The NRA has convinced gunsuck NRA losers that they are the only ones who can defend themselves.
DeleteYou often look further into the story in order to dispute what I say. I guess in this case you didn't bother, otherwise you'd have seen plenty of details to analyze concerning his misbehavior.
DeleteAs far as what we'all keep claiming, it's not what you said. It's that even in cases like this where the idiot gun owner does NOT get away with his actions, he was aided and abetted in his sick behavior by the castle doctrine mentality that is so prevalent among you gun nuts these days.
1. Sometimes I look for more info on your stories. Other times I just look to see what details you give. If you look below, SSG pointed out the details and I remembered the case--it's another one where I agree the shooter was in the wrong.
Delete2. No, your side has been claiming that these laws get people off for murder time and again, and yet we don't see that.
3. There's nothing in our mentality that aids or abets these people. You make a lot of claims about us and about what's on all the gun blogs on the internet, but they don't jive with the reality where those blogs condemn behavior like this.
What I claim is that SOME people get away with murder. And, I say that the castle doctrine mentality so championed by your side causes more shootings to take place.
DeleteOf course you condemn behavior like this when it's so extreme that no one could deny it, except maybe Greg Camp in some cases. But, in many other cases you defend the shooter beyond all reason.
It actually happened in my neck of the woods. Guy had been getting burglaries into his home. He sat in the basement at night with a gun waiting. Teen male and female broke into the house. He shot each one, even finishing one off with a head shot. He then drug the bodies onto a tarp in the basement and then waited a day before calling the police.
ReplyDeleteNot only did he describe this to police, he even recorded the event on audio tape. He claimed self defense, but it wasn't anything like self defense. Much like many criminals claim they didn't know the drugs were in the car, etc, just because someone makes some claim, it doesn't mean they'll be successful.
And in this case, I just heard on the radio that he's been found guilty.
Sarge,
DeleteThanks for providing the background info. Yeah, I heard about this case before, but didn't remember the name to connect the dots.
Mike,
This case comes slightly closer to the idea of "My home is my castle and I get to defend it" than the case with the exchange student, but it still is a case that shows that the castle doctrine is only intended to protect in cases where the shooting is necessary for defense, not where it is punishment for disrespecting the homeowner and breaking in. The shooter's mentality is still that idea of "I'm going to get even with these bastards who have been disrespecting me and breaking in!"
Here, we have the guy lying in wait, and rather than scaring the invaders off with his gun while they tried to break in or trying to hold them for police and only shooting them if they attacked, he waited for them to get inside, shot them, finished them off, and waited to see if he could dispose of the bodies.
The guilty verdict is appropriate and unsurprising here.
Another representative of the pro gun "side." He will rot in jail.
ReplyDeleteAnother loser convinced by the NRA that HE is entitled to kill intruders. This is not only false, but perniciously evil. We are NOT a society in which we are entitled to meet out "justice" to anyone who invades our house. No, that is false. If we are in IMMINENT danger, there is a defense. But that almost never happens, except if you are an NRA loser - NRA losers think that there is imminent danger when they take a piss at 2 AM.
ReplyDeletePOedLib: “Another loser convinced by the NRA that HE is entitled to kill intruders.”
DeleteAgain, who is the one spreading lies about what is and isn’t protected? Who calls it the “get away with murder law”?
POedLib: “We are NOT a society in which we are entitled to meet out "justice" to anyone who invades our house. No, that is false. If we are in IMMINENT danger, there is a defense. But that almost never happens, except if you are an NRA loser”
What about the time you ran into the garage with a crowbar to meet an invader?
Did they have permission to be in the house. Or was he protecting his home during a break in?
ReplyDeleteYeah, unarmed kids were posing a lethal threat. Riiiight.
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