A 62-year-old homeowner has been charged with voluntary manslaughter after fatally shooting a house cleaner who mistakenly arrived at his front door, in a case that is poised to test the boundaries of America’s stand-your-ground laws.
Curt Andersen is accused of killing 32-year-old Maria Florinda Rios Perez De Velasquez on Nov. 5 at his home in the Indianapolis suburb of Whitestown. Rios, a Guatemalan immigrant and mother of four, was part of a cleaning crew that accidentally went to the wrong house just before 7 a.m.
Authorities say Andersen fired a single shot through the front door without issuing any warning, roughly a minute after hearing someone attempt to unlock it. According to a probable cause statement, he had loaded his handgun moments earlier after seeing two figures outside and believing they were trying to force entry.
Rios’ husband, who was with her at the time, said he did not realize she had been shot until she collapsed into his arms.
Andersen was taken into custody and remains at the Boone County Jail. If convicted, he faces 10 to 30 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Prosecutors say stand-your-ground protections do not apply. Boone County Prosecutor Kent Eastwood said Andersen lacked sufficient information to reasonably believe deadly force was necessary. Investigators found no evidence of forcible entry, only a bullet hole in the door.
Rios’ husband told police the couple spent 30 seconds to a minute trying various keys used by their cleaning company, unaware they were at the wrong address. They never knocked, used force, or entered the home, he said.
Andersen’s attorney, Guy Relford, insisted his client acted out of fear and that the shooting is protected under Indiana’s stand-your-ground statute. “Mr. Andersen’s actions must be evaluated based on the circumstances as he perceived them,” he said.
But legal experts note that the case bears resemblance to other mistaken-doorstep shootings across the country, several of which resulted in criminal charges despite similar laws.
Indiana University law professor Jody Madeira said the facts suggest Andersen acted out of panic, not lawful self-defense. “There was no unlawful entry,” she said. “Trying a key or rattling a doorknob isn’t reasonable justification for firing a shot.”
The shooting has renewed scrutiny of stand-your-ground provisions, with prosecutors arguing that fear alone cannot override the legal standards required to justify deadly force.
