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\u2019s stand-your-ground laws.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Rios\u2019 husband, who was with her at the time, said he did not realize she had been shot until she collapsed into his arms.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Rios\u2019 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.<\/p>\n
Andersen\u2019s attorney, Guy Relford, insisted his client acted out of fear and that the shooting is protected under Indiana\u2019s stand-your-ground statute. \u201cMr. Andersen\u2019s actions must be evaluated based on the circumstances as he perceived them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Indiana University law professor Jody Madeira said the facts suggest Andersen acted out of panic, not lawful self-defense. \u201cThere was no unlawful entry,\u201d she said. \u201cTrying a key or rattling a doorknob isn\u2019t reasonable justification for firing a shot.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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\u2019s 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<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14537,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"twitter_1160854738579181570_1160854738579181570":"","facebook_3558452337540614_100649324928663":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[54,239],"tags":[1985,2270,2268,2271,1087],"class_list":{"0":"post-14536","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-social","8":"category-usa-canada","9":"tag-crime","10":"tag-indiana","11":"tag-justice","12":"tag-law","13":"tag-united-states"},"yoast_head":"\n