Posted on 04/22/2014 6:21:59 PM PDT by GrandJediMasterYoda
Minnesota Man Accused of Murdering Teens Who Entered His Home By GIO BENITEZ
The trial against a 65-year-old man accused of murdering two teens who entered his home is underway in Minnesota, stirring debate about how far people can go in defending their homes. Byron Smith, a retired security engineer for the U.S. Department of State, is charged with first-degree premeditated murder in the slayings of cousins Nick Brady, 17, and Haile Kifer, 16, on Thanksgiving Day 2012. The killings rocked the small city of Little Falls. Prosecutors say Smith was sitting in his basement when he heard a window breaking upstairs. When Brady started walking down the basement stairs, Smith shot him twice. Then, according to court documents, Smith shot Brady a third time in the face, allegedly telling investigators, “I want him dead.”
(Excerpt) Read more at gma.yahoo.com ...
According to the link, this former government employee waited a day until reporting this to the LEO’s...Then he showed them the bodies..
“When the female stopped moving, he dragged her by her clothes and into the workshop, too. There, he said, he noticed she was still gasping and didn’t believe she should suffer, so he gave her “a good clean finishing shot,” he said. “She gave out the death twitch.”
One thing that can be learned from this; don’t move the bodies.
Waiting, nearly everyone in similar situations will wait. No one who is smart goes rushing towards the intruders, you wait for them to come to you so that you have the tactical advantage. Key word- wait.
He also recorded audio for 6 hours before and 6 hours after, it is believed that he was waiting for the girl’s dad to come looking for her.
“I saw it as a static situation,” he told police. He said he also thought for a bit that although his Thanksgiving was ruined, he didn’t have to ruin it for others by calling authorities that day.”
I think the guy’s a certified ding..
That is what he is, as crazy as all get out.
When a person looks into what happened, they realize this guy is a psychotic nut.
It's curious that often a citizen who goes overboard with use of force appears to be a retired LEO or like that. The movie theater shooter was a retired policeman. This guy appears to be "a retired security engineer for the U.S. Department of State," whatever that might be. Is it because they learned during decades of their service that might makes right, and that shooting of "a civilian" is just a paid vacation?
Your post, of course, is now on record so if you do I’m sure it would be used against you at trial. Once the perps are no longer a threat you cannot legally shoot them again.
But you knew that.
“This would have been quite a different story if these two punks were found with guns on them or were suspected in a home invasion murder.”
1. Invading persons are much younger.
A. Strength is on their side.
B. Speed is on their side.
2. Invading persons outnumber the homeowner.
1. & 2. above amount to “preponderance of force”.
the thugs were outsmarted and now are dead, they did not choose wisely...
After getting broken into 3 or 4 times, you betcha I will be waiting, much more prepared, for the next one.
Probably more vigilantly than I am standing ready for and waiting on the first one.
The perps are always considered a deadly threat by me on my property until they leave of their own accord or stop breathing (after all, I am the one that has to get home safely to my family tonight).
And as judicious marksmanship requires, anything more than one or two shots per, would be a waste of good ammo and could possibly bring charges of abusing an already dead body and needlessly discharging a firearm within the city limits.
The action one takes in this situation should be “not to get even, it is to get more than even”. It is not a game.
Just another old ARROGANT pr*ck!
That would seem to suggest she wasn't a seasoned criminal, but very stupid young lady who had no idea she'd just entered a house of nightmares owned by a crazy person.
Breaking into people's homes is an extremely dangerous activity. They lost big, and no doubt he will too.
The “kids” were little scums. Their car was found with stolen property of other people. They had it coming. The big mistake was the comments the man said to investigators, and to his neighbor, if I recall correctly.
Just say they broke in, you were trapped in your basement, self-defense, you took them out. That’s it.
Punks deserved it.
They played the audio he recorded today. From the Minneapolis Star Tribune:
The crystal-clear audio included the gunshots that killed 17-year-old Nick Brady and, minutes later, 18-year-old Haile Kifer as they descended the stairs to Smith’s basement. After repeated break-ins to his home in the months leading up to that day, Smith had prepared his home with recording devices and himself with guns, he later told authorities. He was in his favorite basement reading chair with a paperback that day, he said, when he heard someone rattle the door handles to his house and saw a shadow through a picture window.
The Morrison County jury heard glass break, movement, then two shots as Brady groaned “Oh.” Smith responded with another gunshot, saying, “you’re dead.”
Almost immediately after Brady was shot, rustling of the tarp was heard, then a dragging sound, then heavy breathing. Smith had moved Brady’s body to a workshop in his basement to keep blood from staining the basement carpet, he later told authorities.
The audio continued with the sound of a gun reloading, then more deep breaths and the sound of footsteps — first getting fainter and then becoming louder again. A few minutes later, in a quiet, low voice, a female mumbled “Nick.”
Soon, there was another booming gunshot and the sound of Kifer falling down the stairs. Smith quickly said, “Oh, sorry about that.”
“Oh, my god!,” Kifer said, and screamed.
“You’re dying,” Smith responded amid more gunshots. “Bitch.”
After more heavy breathing and a dragging sound, Smith said “bitch” once more. Jurors heard more movement, and the crack of a gun.
Prosecutors stopped playing tape at that point.
Officers shoot unarmed persons dead with intentional use of lethal force “to make sure they are dead” and go home safe with no charges (and the shootings arent’t even their home).
Must be nice to belong to the biggest gang in town.
Surprised that ABCDisney didn’t put “allegedly burglarizing” into the URL address.
That would seem to suggest she wasn’t a seasoned criminal, but very stupid young lady who had no idea she’d just entered a house of nightmares owned by a crazy person.
= = = = = = = = = = = = =
Well when you chose a profession, you have to live (or die) by it -according to the rules.
How you can say he is ‘crazy’ after being broken into several times and two thugs break a window into his home would probably drive me ‘crazy’ also. Though I doubt I would have taken the ‘kill shot’ like he did and then brag about it.
At this time being declared crazy may be his best shot.
Was he crazy when he punched a time clock for 30 some years and raised a family only to retire and become a ‘target’?
It sounds like you are showing some sympathy for the two thieves, they got what they deserved.
Call it premeditated if you wish, but try breaking into my home or my vehicle while I am in it— “MY FEAR” will cause me to kill - NOT MURDER, but kill.
Just because they are a couple of white teen agers doesn’t make them ‘nice clean cut kids’. They broke into a house and what happened to them they brought upon themselves.
I am really surprised the ‘Minority Community’ isn’t taking advantage of this...surely ‘they’ must read something into the fact that 2 white kids and the guy gets charged with 1st degree murder while if it had been 2 black kids he would have gotten a walk...../sarcasm (somewhat)
There was a home invasion in Houston last decade where a pair of thugs entered a couple's 3 story home (tall and narrow). The home owner shot and killed one of the invaders on the staircase leading upstairs.
The other one left and later turned himself into the authorities (who did NOT prosecute him and would NOT reveal his identity to the home owner). The shooting was investigated and ultimately the homeowner was not charged in the shooting. He asked what he should do about concerns that the partner may come back for revenge and he was advised by the city to circle the block a few times if he was worried he was being followed.
I believe Chuck Rosenthal was the DA at the time. He was not very gun friendly (he was against citizens having guns in their car and wanted to prosecute drivers for it even though the legislature approved it).
I’m curious what the police response time was when he told them that he’d shot two home invaders.
How long was he on 911?
What was their attitude to the home owner (who admittedly had just discharged a weapon)? Were their guns drawn?
Now imagine all of this with 2 living but wounded home invaders on the property.
How safe was he with them bleeding but conscious and angry?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.