Cleaning woman shot dead in front of her husband in the USA. The owner of the house mistook her for a burglar
The tragic mistake happened just before dawn on Wednesday in Whitestown, a suburb of Indianapolis, where Maria Florinda Rios Perez de Velasquez and her husband were cleaning houses. While trying to enter one of them, she was fatally shot with a single shot to the head fired through a closed door. This happened in front of her husband, who was standing next to her. According to the police, the couple mistook the address of the house where they were supposed to be cleaning, and the owner of the house mistook them for burglars and, before firing a shot, reported a possible burglary attempt.
What charges can the homeowner face?
Who was the murdered woman?
What is the 'Castle Doctrine' in Indiana?
Did this incident take place in Indianapolis?
On Friday, local police said they had completed a preliminary investigation into the incident and turned over their findings to the Boone County Prosecutor's Office, which will decide whether to file criminal charges against the homeowner. The identity of the perpetrator of the shooting has not been revealed.
The “Castle Doctrine” in Indiana
Prosecutor Kent Eastwood admitted on Friday afternoon local time that the case is complicated due to Indiana's “castle doctrine”, i.e. the owners' rights to self-defense, including using lethal means, if they have reasonable suspicion of someone illegally entering their property. Similar laws to those in Indiana exist in 31 U.S. states.
