Vigilante "justice": man kills two intruders, Jury refuses to indite
- added July 3, 2008
- 23 responses
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- current89
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"I'm gonna kill 'em." thats what Joe Horn said, on the phone to 911. He killed two intruders with three shotgun blasts. A Texas jury refused to indite him on any crimes.
Excerpt
The 911 tape offered up a few clues that Joe Horn had every intention of killing the men who were breaking into the house next door. For example, there was that time, six minutes into the phone call, when he told the dispatcher, "I'm gonna kill 'em."
And "kill 'em" he did, stepping outside his house to shoot the men with three shotgun blasts in the back as they retreated across his lawn with a bag of stolen goods from next door. In today's overheated debate about gun rights, this marksmanship made Horn, 62, a hero to many. When a small group came out to his home in Pasadena, Texas, to protest the killings, they were shouted down and run off by a far larger group of bikers and residents yelling "U.S.A.! U.S.A.!" as if they were on the set of The Jerry Springer Show.
Grand juries in Texas are sealed affairs, so no one really knows what goes on in their deliberations. But on Monday, a Harris County grand jury refused to indict Horn for any crimes related to the November 2007 shooting. It's the kind of decision that makes you wonder if the jurors themselves were chanting "U.S.A.! U.S.A.!" during deliberations. The decision was celebrated by Horn's defenders, of course. More than anything, though, it was called a victory for the Castle Doctrine.
The Castle Doctrine is a right-to-defend-yourself law that has been sweeping the country: about half the states have some version of the law, most passed within the past three years. Texas passed its version last fall. It is popular in part because it's a hybrid of two simple and deeply American concepts: your home is your castle, and you have a right to defend yourself and your property. The laws have different details and sometimes different names from place to place (some states go for a more macho name — Stand Your Ground — while others prefer the snarkier Make My Day).
End of Excerpt
Source: Time
Excerpt
The 911 tape offered up a few clues that Joe Horn had every intention of killing the men who were breaking into the house next door. For example, there was that time, six minutes into the phone call, when he told the dispatcher, "I'm gonna kill 'em."
And "kill 'em" he did, stepping outside his house to shoot the men with three shotgun blasts in the back as they retreated across his lawn with a bag of stolen goods from next door. In today's overheated debate about gun rights, this marksmanship made Horn, 62, a hero to many. When a small group came out to his home in Pasadena, Texas, to protest the killings, they were shouted down and run off by a far larger group of bikers and residents yelling "U.S.A.! U.S.A.!" as if they were on the set of The Jerry Springer Show.
Grand juries in Texas are sealed affairs, so no one really knows what goes on in their deliberations. But on Monday, a Harris County grand jury refused to indict Horn for any crimes related to the November 2007 shooting. It's the kind of decision that makes you wonder if the jurors themselves were chanting "U.S.A.! U.S.A.!" during deliberations. The decision was celebrated by Horn's defenders, of course. More than anything, though, it was called a victory for the Castle Doctrine.
The Castle Doctrine is a right-to-defend-yourself law that has been sweeping the country: about half the states have some version of the law, most passed within the past three years. Texas passed its version last fall. It is popular in part because it's a hybrid of two simple and deeply American concepts: your home is your castle, and you have a right to defend yourself and your property. The laws have different details and sometimes different names from place to place (some states go for a more macho name — Stand Your Ground — while others prefer the snarkier Make My Day).
End of Excerpt
Source: Time
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Although I don't really support guns and firearms, this man clearly is NOT a threat to society. Now, whether a couple of would-be robbers deserve to die for what might have been a misdemeanor is another question. A scary situation, but if I was on the jury I wouldn't indict.
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- LogicalOctopus
- 2 months ago
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Tsch, n00b. A pro could have done it with one blast.
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- Dmitri_Molotov
- 2 months ago
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What bothers me is that the jury failed to see something crucial here - he was not defending himself nor his property! He was defending his neighbor's property, and he was in no danger of bodily harm. What this jury has told the nation is that they believe that their stuff is worth killing over. Apparently in this part of Texas, the shit in your house is worth more than a human life.
Thank <insert deity here> I don't live there. I wouldn't want to be mistaken for a burglar there and have my right to life and justice taken away by a zealot with a shotgun. -
actually, as progressive as i am, this doesn't strike me as wrong. yes they weren't on his property, but that might have just been luck on his part. and what if they had come into his house? would this be another homicide? dunno, obviously not defense of life but...with a family?...dunno
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god bless texas
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- starlightblue
- 2 months ago
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Good news.
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What a hero! Make this guy president!
Oh wait... -
"Grand juries in Texas are sealed affairs, so no one really knows what goes on in their deliberations."
Grand Juries in Harris County are also overwhelmingly made up of white, middle to upper middle class, male republicans. -
I think that guy did the wrong thing. Last thing we need is vigilantes dishing out the justice. He shot them in the head! Which means they were turned away from him!
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- ctrl_alt_del
- 2 months ago
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the guy had every right to.
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- adam_romano
- 2 months ago
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couldnt he like shoot their legs or aim at a shoulder...you know, not kill them?
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what really gets me about this story is the transcript of the 911 call. while i understand wanting to protect your life, liberty, and property (as in the castle doctrine), this was his neighbor's house and property. and in the transcript, horn seemed bent on killing those intruders.
what a sad day for america and texas. yet another step back into the wild, wild west. -
Simply beautiful.
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What if it was kids playing a practical joke?
Even though it wasn't, what the hell guys?!?!? Seriously?
What about making them immobile so they could be arrested?
You're really all happy about their MURDER?
I can't even understand you people...
You should be ashamed.
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