• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Minnesota man who killed teens in break-in charged with murder

Status
Not open for further replies.
I've been burglarized three times in the last seven months to have $10,000 worth of stuff taken. I'm about as non-violent as they come but I'm pretty sure I would have finished them off in my rage as well.
 
Awwhhh...Look at the pretty little white burglar addicts along with their senior photos and the creepy crazy old man with guns..Sounds like he's guilty till proven innocent. He did society a favor but now will have to suffer the consequences as people defend the "rights" of the burglars...

If this isn't a troll, fuck off.
 
I live in the area and this has been all over the news. It sounds like he was a normal guy who got carried away with anger. He said over the last couple years there have been 8 break ins at his house, and just last month he had ~$10000 worth of guns and cash stolen.

The only thing I think he was really in the wrong about was waiting a day to call the police. He claimed that he didn't want to bother them on Thanksgiving, but that is an awful excuse.

Anyway, I don't think he has a criminal history, and his neighbor even went to the press to defend him. The guy just wanted to be left alone. I don't think the burglars deserved to be killed, but when someone breaks into your house to steal things how do you know what they're going to do?

I have no sympathy for the burglars, but I do feel bad for the families.

It's great when someone has a stash of weapons that others can easily steal, thus putting more guns into the hands of criminals. And then people say we need them because criminals have them. Huh.
 

Slayven

Member
How the fuck can you defend a guy that wounds both teens to the point where they can no longer move or cause harm, then proceeds to fucking shoot them in the head?

This guy is obviously a fucking lunatic and the fact that he thinks a "good, clean finishing shot" is justification for shooting the girl in the head is fucking ridiculous. Maybe if you hadn't unloaded a fucking gun into her until it jammed before doing so, she wouldn't need your "finishing shot".

This guy is a piece of absolute shit.

I am not defending the guy, but at the same time I have no fucks to give about the pillheads.
 

Darkmakaimura

Can You Imagine What SureAI Is Going To Do With Garfield?
Awwhhh...Look at the pretty little white burglar addicts along with their senior photos and the creepy crazy old man with guns..Sounds like he's guilty till proven innocent. He did society a favor but now will have to suffer the consequences as people defend the "rights" of the burglars...
If they would have died after he had shot them, most people would have no problem with this. He would have been defending himself and his home. However, he went out of his way to kill them. At that point, he was not defending himself. He acted as an executioner. He waited before calling the authorities as well.

These kids were down for the count. He should have immediately called the police once that happened.

There's no 'right' in this matter, only 'wrong'. Kids were dumb and died as a result, nobody will argue. Expect lethal retaliation if you're going to break into someone's property. But shooting people in the head after they're down and injured, knowing full well they are incapacitated and then proceeding to fire shots in their heads.... on a teenage girl of all things.... you are certainly not in your right mind.
 
Wait, at what point did he laugh when he killed them? I thought the news piece said the girl laughed after she was shot once...

Sad story in every facet.
 
I wish we lived in a magical place where none suffered and there wasn't a need for self defense either...

Not to suggest this was self defense. We all know it stopped being that after they were dropped. But people should always have the right to self defense. And the right to self defense is completely useless without the means.

But there's more to self-defence than guns...
 
I am not defending the guy, but at the same time I have no fucks to give about the pillheads.
I dunno, I still think it's tragic that life was lost, whether or not they were the best of people. Not everyone is raised in an environment that is conducive to well-adjusted behaviors. Many are driven to crime for valid reasons. Whatever the case may be, I would rather have the law exercise judgment for their crimes than condone vigilante executions, even if I were to do so implicitly.
 
Cases like this remind me of why we need an Express Justice lane.

Under the jail, plz.

I don't think he should be charged. I don't think what he did was moral, either.

Private citizens don't have the right to execute unarmed intruders after successfully disabling/incapacitating them. His safety was secured when he shot them both as they came down the stairs. He became a murdered when he walked up to them and shot them both in the head, as though he were on a battlefield fighting soldiers. That you would believe otherwise speaks to problems with your own morals that you ought to think about.
 
This should be pretty cut and dry. Somebody breaks into your home, you shouldn't fear about the consequences of taking a kill-shot. You don't know what the intruder will do after being warned or injured. There are actually cases where intruders sued the home owner for injuring them. With that said, the home owner should not be able to treat it like an execution. If by some way, the intruders gave themselves up and were detained by him, he shouldn't be able to execute them like he's making a snuff film.
 

Camp Lo

Banned
I honestly think if each initial shots killed, the guy wouldn't have a problem and personally I wouldn't be able to argue.
 

Slayven

Member
I dunno, I still think it's tragic that life was lost, whether or not they were the best of people. Not everyone is raised in an environment that is conducive to well-adjusted behaviors. Many are driven to crime for valid reasons. Whatever the case may be, I would rather have the law exercise judgment for their crimes than condone vigilante executions, even if I were to do so implicitly.

Every day is a choice.
 

Kinyou

Member
I don't think he should be charged. I don't think what he did was moral, either.
What the fuck? Those teenagers were stealing stuff. Not killing his dog, torturing his children or raping his wife, they were stealing stuff. This is not something that excuses his actions in the slightest way
 

sp3000

Member
What the fuck? Those teenagers were stealing stuff. Not killing his dog, torturing his children or raping his wife, they were stealing stuff. This is not something that excuses his actions in the slightest way

You've never had an intruder break into your property so you really have zero basis on which to judge this situation.

The guy was obviously off the rails, but the teenagers were doing a lot more than just "stealing stuff"

It has a serious psychological effect that when combined with someone who is already mentally insane, leads to this
 

TheSeks

Blinded by the luminous glory that is David Bowie's physical manifestation.
It sounds like he snapped. It sounds like he reigned it in at some point and began to rationalize as things were still in motion. Seeing fucked up kids on the ground that you feel aren't going to make it... I can understand it. Not condoning it at all.

He snapped, yes. He rationalized it after the fact, yes. But why the fuck did he not call the police after the matter? He waited twenty-four hours to call the police. That's murder, right there.
 
I honestly think if each initial shots killed, the guy wouldn't have a problem and personally I wouldn't be able to argue.

This is absolutely the case which is what makes this such an odd fucked up case. If he had shot them each once and they died, we would have never heard a thing about this. But, he went full on fucking crazy. How you punish that I don't know. He certainly shouldn't be put out into the world again, that's for damn sure. I guess he needs a legit psych evaluation, and I'd hand out punishment from there. Which I imagine is what will happen.

Hell, if he would have shot them both a couple of times in rapid succession he probably would have been fine.....

Yeah. It's the walking over, seeing they are no longer a threat, and unloading on them like they were rabid dogs that's going to, deservedly, fuck him.
 

daw840

Member
This is absolutely the case which is what makes this such an odd fucked up case. If he had shot them each once and they died, we would have never heard a thing about this. But, he went full on fucking crazy. How you punish that I don't know. He certainly shouldn't be put out into the world again, that's for damn sure. I guess he needs a legit psych evaluation, and I'd hand out punishment from there. Which I imagine is what will happen.

Hell, if he would have shot them both a couple of times in rapid succession he probably would have been fine.....
 

Kinyou

Member
You've never had an intruder break into your property so you really have zero basis on which to judge this situation.

The guy was obviously off the rails, but the teenagers were doing a lot more than just "stealing stuff"

It has a serious psychological effect that when combined with someone who is already mentally insane, leads to this
So I shouldn't judge a guy who kills his wife and kids after a divorce either because I never got divorced? There are also plenty of other self defense cases with people who didn't put some extra rounds into the burglars head

/Hindsight post
What hindsight?
"I want him dead," Smith explained to the investigator for the additional shot.
The guy wanted them dead because he wanted them dead. He didn't do it because he was scared for his life or was fearing for anyone's safety.
 

jaxword

Member
This thread makes an interesting contrast to the thread about the guy who was killed by the Walmart employees during a fight over shoplifting DVD players.
 

desh

Member
The guy is not a psychopath, but he did commit homicide. He'll probably plead temporary insanity considering the fact that he had been burglarized before recently. It's really hard to know how anyone is going to react in these types of situations, and he obviously went overboard, and was probably in shock afterwards. But, is he a threat to society? Probably not; only if you break into his home.
 

rCIZZLE

Member
He snapped, yes. He rationalized it after the fact, yes. But why the fuck did he not call the police after the matter? He waited twenty-four hours to call the police. That's murder, right there.

I think the time it took to report is the most irrelevant part of this situation. He clearly murdered them but after that there's really no reason for him to be in a rush to call the police. Mid 60s and just executed two (scumbag) teenagers... pretty much fucked no matter what he did next short of lying.
 

DrForester

Kills Photobucket
Hell, if he would have shot them both a couple of times in rapid succession he probably would have been fine.....

From the story in the OP, that's what happened with the first burglar. No defense for going to get another gun and finish off the second who he could clearly see was not a threat by then.
 

daw840

Member
From the story in the OP, that's what happened with the first burglar. No defense for going to get another gun and finish off the second who he could clearly see was not a threat by then.

Yeah...though I read it as he had another gun in his pocket that he pulled out. Not that he went and got one. Maybe I need to reread though...
 

notsol337

marked forever
What hindsight?

Now, before I say this, I want it to be perfectly clear. I am in no way defending this guy or his actions.

However, the dude didn't know why they were there. He didn't know they were there to steal stuff. He didn't know why they were there until after the fact. They could have been in there simply to kill someone. It's happened before, and unfortunately it'll happen again. So yeah, you're saying that with a bit of hindsight.

Again, this dude is a monster. Defending your person? I'm totally ok with that. This went too far.
 
Not too far away from where this happened, this has been all over our local news, so messed up. The kids were idiots for breaking and entering but this guy is a nutjob and a murderer pure and simple. Everybody has the right to self defense but it doesn't give one the right to methodically kill people execution style.

In asking for the high bail figure, County Attorney Brian Middendorf said the incident was a case of cold-blooded murder. "The circumstances are appalling and far beyond any self-defense claim," he said.

100% agreed. People in this gun crazed nation need to start learnIng that your property isn't some magical, self contained country where you can do whatever you want to whoever without impunity.
 

TAJ

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Everyone is defending the first shots. There's no way he could even have identified them first. GAF, I am disappoint.
 

Riggs

Banned
I never robbed people as a kid because I knew people out there like this dude exist. Plus I wasn't a piece of shit. These kids were shit heads, but they didn't deserve this. I am not surprised at all though this is what I expect to face when breaking into peoples homes even if it is not the reality most of the time.
 
100% agreed. People in this gun crazed nation need to start learnIng that your property isn't some magical, self contained country where you can do whatever you want to whoever without impunity.

You are right that you can't do ANYTHING but you certainly should and in many cases do have the right to defend yourself. I personally have ZERO sympathy for thieves. If you choose to knowingly break into and try to rob someone, if you get shot by the homeowner, you deserve it. All they should be obligated to do is call 911 after the confrontation.
 

SMT

this show is not Breaking Bad why is it not Breaking Bad? it should be Breaking Bad dammit Breaking Bad
Old man with guns, 'workshop', previously paranoid from multiple robberies over the last 10 months, two thieving teens with drug addictions, hmmm, HMMMM.

derp.

No, it will not end in some weird gun fetish porn threesome!
 
And they could have very easily killed him...I say scumbags breaking into a house get what's coming to them. Put him under watch and counseling for a bit, but I wouldn't charge him with full on murder... manslaughter perhaps.
Because when you intentionally execute people you don't really mean to kill them. It was an accident. Honest.

I don't think you understand what manslaughter really means.
 

SMT

this show is not Breaking Bad why is it not Breaking Bad? it should be Breaking Bad dammit Breaking Bad
I think the dichotomy lies in the fact that if he had a shotgun, and shot them, each with a 'clean hit', they would have both been dead no question, and we wouldn't be having this conversation right now.

But because he had to install 4 discs to finish the job, people are up in arms, some of you are sympathizing with the girl by stating ''she's only a girl'' not realizing how demeaning this could be to other members on the forum. Think with your minds, not your dicks. Roses have thorns too, don't judge a book by its cover, looks can be deceiving, but I'm sure you all will get married one day, after you stopped wailing over a dead thief you never knew.

You'll never know what the intentions of the deceased were, but if they were experienced robbers, they knew one day they would have to face this type of situation, in the US of A no less.

I'm not saying grandpa executioner was right, but he probably acted in the heat of the moment, some people are perfectionists, and listen, he wanted to 'end her suffering', if you believe that.

Maybe he was being humane, maybe he was being insane!
 

Zeus Molecules

illegal immigrants are stealing our air
man .... I mean the finishing shot needs to get him murder.... thats .... thats just disturbing thievery is wrong but in the end it is just stuff. He has a right to protect his stuff and himself of course but after shooting them initially he was in no danger and choice of his actions became sadistic.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom