An Indiana homeowner accused of killing a house cleaner was charged Monday with voluntary manslaughter, highlighting the complex implications of stand-your-ground laws.
Curt Anderson may face up to 10 to 30 years in prison if convicted, along with a potential $10,000 fine. Anderson's attorney has not provided comments regarding the case leading to charges.
Police discovered Maria Florinda Rios Perez De Velasquez, a 32-year-old immigrant from Guatemala, lifeless on the front porch of a home in Whitestown on November 5. She was part of a cleaning crew that mistakenly approached the wrong residence.
Her husband recalls being with her when someone opened fire through the front door, only understanding the gravity of the situation when she fell into his arms, injured.
Indiana's stand-your-ground law allows homeowners to use lethal force against perceived unlawful intrusions. However, law enforcement concluded that there is no evidence indicating that Rios entered the home before being shot.
This case echoes a similar incident from Missouri in 2023, where an elderly man shot a Black teenager mistakenly knocking on his door. Both states, having comparable stand-your-ground laws, demonstrate a troubling trend in interpretations of self-defense.
In contrast, New York, which lacks a stand-your-ground law, convicted a man of second-degree murder for shooting a woman who erroneously drove onto his property.
Legal experts like Jody Madeira, a law professor at Indiana University, have described the Rios case as deeply troubling and atypical. For Anderson to invoke stand-your-ground immunity, he would need to show he felt his life was in immediate danger, which includes the perspective of a reasonable person in the same distressing situation.
Madeira emphasized that individuals generally have the right to access private properties, such as porches, for legitimate purposes until asked to leave, highlighting that shooting individuals like delivery personnel simply for entering onto property without notice is unlawful.
