re: #22 Killgore Trout

Murder charges: Rifle jammed, she laughed, so he killed her with a pistol

Having been the victim of a break in a few weeks ago I know how it feels. There’s an assumption that if someone breaks in when they know you’re home they are ready to do you harm, especially since the guy was trapped in the basement. The second person came down even after hearing the shots and taunted him when his gun jammed. Not a smart move. The homeowner wasn’t within his legal rights but after my recent experience I can see how this sort of thing can happen. One of the reasons I’m not considering a gun after my break in is because of situations like this. A moment of passion/anger, a lapse in judgement and the homeowner is in deep shit. I could have easily shot my intruder, he was standing only feet away when I woke up. But without my glasses in the dark if I had shot him in the back I’d be in jail. I don’t have a whole lot of emotional sympathy for the criminals but I’ll take my chances being unarmed and hope for the best.

Beyond defense in this case.

Smith shot him with a rifle by the time he saw the intruder’s hips.

Brady fell down the stairs and was looking up at Smith when the homeowner shot him in the face.

“I want him dead,” Smith explained to the investigator for the additional shot.