A Louisiana mother who shot and killed a home intruder during the early morning hours of Jan. 8 will likely not be charged according to a detective from the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office. Police say the 51-year-old man was wearing a ski mask and carrying a snow shovel and lug wrench when he broke into the woman’s home on Klein Road in Hammond at approximately 5:00 a.m. Detectives have found no evidence suggesting that the woman knew the intruder, so they have concluded that he chose the residence at random.
Altercation
The man was shot after becoming involved in a physical altercation with the woman shortly after breaking into her home. She told detectives that she acted to protect her two children, and the man had left her with no other choice than to use deadly force. A medical examiner from the Tangipahoa Parish Coroner’s Office pronounced the man dead at the scene.
Recently released from prison
When detectives tasked with solving homicide crimes conducted a records check, they discovered that the man had recently been released from prison after serving 20 years for armed robbery. They have also linked him with a convenience store robbery and an attempted carjacking. According to a police report, the man violently assaulted a motorist after asking for a ride outside a motel on Old Baton Rouge Highway.
Self-defense
Police are unlikely to file charges against the woman, and prosecutors may decline to pursue the matter even if they did, because the facts suggest that this is a clear case of self-defense. The penalties for taking another life are severe, but individuals rarely face them if they acted to protect their lives or the lives of others. The fact that the decedent was a convicted felon who may have committed other crimes before entering the woman’s house likely did not factor into the decision not to press charges in this case.
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