No Charges For Man Who Killed Burglars

[James123]

After listening to the 911 phone call I really can't see how this guy isn't in jail. He deserves to be, even if they were stealing he went out there with the intention of murdering them (not in self defence, had he not walked out there with a gun who knows if they would have even stepped on his property) and after being told not to he did it anyway.

Edited July 4, 2008 by James123

[RAID 0]

This is murder of the 1st degree, he had prior intention and commited the act...

It was commited outside his house with shots to the back.

Anyone actually has doubt if these were americans citizens and not illegal immigrants the results would be diffrent?

Don't be stupid. Did Mr. Horn have prior knowledge of the burglary and plan to kill the men? I for one am GLAD that two illegals are dead. If they were not stealing.... they might be alive today.

[JackBauer87]

I would have shot them too.

I concur.

[+Troll Subscriber¹]

Glad he wasn't charged. He wasn't planning to kill them necessarily and gave fair warning. Had they not been breaking the law, they would likely be alive.

[MR_Candyman]

Glad he wasn't charged. He wasn't planning to kill them necessarily and gave fair warning. Had they not been breaking the law, they would likely be alive.

He said in the phone call he WILL KILL THEM. Did you listen to how soon after he told them to stop he shot? I doubt I could have stopped that fast if I'd been running.

There was even a cop that pulled up outside and decided NOT to get out of his vehicle because he saw this guy with the shotgun

[+Troll Subscriber¹]

He said in the phone call he WILL KILL THEM. Did you listen to how soon after he told them to stop he shot? I doubt I could have stopped that fast if I'd been running.

There was even a cop that pulled up outside and decided NOT to get out of his vehicle because he saw this guy with the shotgun

Again, if they weren't stealing in the first place, it wouldn't have happened, plain and simple.

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

What is it with you people suggesting we execute people (without trial) for theft?

[VGVL]

He did a good thing. I would have shot them in the kneecaps though.

[Konstanov]

He did a good thing. I would have shot them in the kneecaps though.

No you wouldn't everyone can say anything on the internet, but in a situation like that you have no idea what you would do unless you were trained to be in a situation like that, have been in one before, or currently in a situation like that. Anyway in all possibility the gunshot would shatter the knee sending bone fragments hurdling through the leg causing multiple internal lacerations the end result would have the burglars bleeding out on the floor and would still be considered murder, and very likely torture.

[MR_Candyman]

Again, if they weren't stealing in the first place, it wouldn't have happened, plain and simple.

and if guns didn't exist they wouldn't have been shot...

give me a break man. Yes, they should be punished, and yes I want to kill anybody who vandalizes and who steals, but it is against the law. This guy should have been tried for first degree murder. Everything was there for him to get charged for it, though they could have pleaded manslaughter. This guy should NOT get away with this.

[Konstanov]

and if guns didn't exist they wouldn't have been shot...

give me a break man. Yes, they should be punished, and yes I want to kill anybody who vandalizes and who steals, but it is against the law. This guy should have been tried for first degree murder. Everything was there for him to get charged for it, though they could have pleaded manslaughter. This guy should NOT get away with this.

It's well within the law in Texas to do this though, yes it is murder but it is chalked up to self-defense. Which there are probably thousands of cases of every year in the United States. Killings in war can be chalked up to self-defense, by the same logic I should been shot by firing squad a long time.

[DaTech]

No burglar deserves death though!

if anyone broke into my place I would immobolize them then torture them

can't let people walk on you or else there will be just more victims after you...

scew the law if your on my propery illegally your done that's it!

criminals have it too easy

jail should be hard time.. you move this pile of boulders from this corner to that corner... o your done... do it again.. and don't stop

jail should be a nightmare from criminals not a ****ing hang out

o ya he is 62 year old... no judge is gonna put a 62 year old honest citizen into jail for blowing away 2 robbers

o ya this guy might even have been in the war I can't see this guy going to jail just for these reasons.

[Verdelite]

Well, since they were both illegals, both had been in trouble prior to getting owned, I think he did what I would have done in the same situation. Its the anti-gun pussies that like to have the nice thoughts that the police are going to be there for them 24/7

[DaTech]

people also can use deadly force to protect their neighbor's property; for example, if a homeowner asks a neighbor to watch over his property while he's out of town.

texas law says this was totally legal they were stealing i guess killing to defend property is totally legal

[+Troll Subscriber¹]

What is it with you people suggesting we execute people (without trial) for theft?

I'm not suggesting that they were deserving an execution. I'm suggesting that the man defending his neighbor's property doesn't deserve to be punished when they were the ones breaking the law.

[pdmcmahon]

As a homeowner, and as someone who takes a great deal of pride in the appearance of my home, I say hats off to Mr. Horn. I work very hard to enjoy all of the toys that I have, and no way in hell are a couple of illegals, whites, blacks, etc going to take any of that from me without a fight.

This is going to sound very cold, but these two clods were in the country illegally. I am not saying they deserved it for being illegal, but considering what they were doing, they shouldn't be the least bit surprised. ACLU, Human Rights and Immigrant Rights all aside, there were here illegally, you can't say that enough.

God dammit it drives me crazy when people keep sticking up for undocumented immigrants. Why should I give two sh1ts for someone who isn't even here illegally. Everyone else who comes here legally follows a process and does it the right way, why should these two crackheads get the easy route? What ****es me off the most is that my tax dollars probably paid for their funerals! Argh!!!

[jwjw1]

'I'm going to stop this guy from robbing my Neighbor'

[Revolution.]

i heard the 911 phone call he made on howard stern show. and it was .. pretty f...ed up. but i think they made the right decision, i reckon everyone should have the ability to control matters into their own hands when it comes to their personal stuff, via their property. it was for defense even if it was his neighbour's house. i mean, if someone came to my property, i would most likely harm them if they was to threaten me and steal my items... but it doesnt mean i go out killing people, so its both a pro and con. but it was a good call of the judge to do so. right to let him go, but wrong to kill. hear that kids! :D

[Rebdomine]

Their hands should have been cutted, that would have been a bit more fair... But shooting them is fine too.

[curme]

Here's an excerpt from the transcript of Joe Horn's 911 call:

Horn: He?s coming out the window right now, I gotta go, buddy. I?m sorry, but he?s coming out the window.

Dispatcher: Don?t, don?t ? don?t go out the door. Mr. Horn? Mr. Horn?

Horn: They just stole something. I?m going after them, I?m sorry.

Dispatcher: Don?t go outside.

Horn: I ain?t letting them get away with this s--t. They stole something. They got a bag of something.

Dispatcher: Don?t go outside the house.

Horn: I?m doing this.

Dispatcher: Mr. Horn, do not go outside the house.

Horn: I?m sorry. This ain?t right, buddy.

Dispatcher: You?re going to get yourself shot if you go outside that house with a gun, I don?t care what you think.

Horn: You want to make a bet?

Dispatcher: OK? Stay in the house.

Horn: They?re getting away!

Dispatcher: That?s all right. Property?s not worth killing someone over, OK?

Horn: [curses]

Dispatcher: Don?t go out the house. Don?t be shooting nobody. I know you?re ****ed and you?re frustrated, but don?t do it.

Horn: They got a bag of loot.

Dispatcher: OK. How big is the bag ... which way are they going?

Horn: I?m going outside. I?ll find out.

Dispatcher: I don?t want you going outside, Mr. Horn.

Horn: Well, here it goes, buddy. You hear the shotgun clicking and I?m going.

Dispatcher: Don?t go outside.

Horn: [yelling] Move, you?re dead!

[sound of shots being fired]

Click here to listen to the call.

National Post

If he was a black man who killed two white burglars, he'd be in jail right now.

Horn told the operator, "The laws have been changed in this country since September the first, and you know it and I know it,"

So he was already looking for an excuse to go outside and murder them.

Edited July 5, 2008 by curme

[.tony]

Shots to the leg or something would have suffice but killing is too far.

It's different if you're in a life-threatening situation, though.

Also, curme's suggestion seems truthful to me too.

[Calum Veteran]

To all of you people shocked at my comments:

I'm sure you'd think the same if you'd been in that situation & if you were a victim of robbery. These criminals are evil! I am not talking about a kid or a baby who doesn't know any better; I am talking about evil, serial, burglars who plan their attacks & rob (emotionally torture) people frequently! :angry:

To the person who said, "what about backups?" if you read my previous post, I said what if the robbers stole all of your backups (if you had no where else to keep them other than your home) as well as your PCs! What are you going to do then? Nothing! All of your sentimental documents would be gone, all of your thousands of music files it took you ages to acquire, all of your pictures, all of your videos, your important career / uni / school work, the list is endless!

In essence, to sum up:

I am not saying robbers should get the death penalty, but if they happened to be shot dead or killed somehow then it serves them right & it is no loss to society! The 'value of human life' does not involve robbers, murderers & rapists, because they hurt other people & ruin other people's lives. They are evil - simple as.

Edited July 5, 2008 by cJr.

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

All of you people shocked at my comments:

I'm sure you'd think the same if you'd been in that situation & if you were a victim of robbery.

...

That doesn't mean anything, the law should be fair, letting people off because you agree with them isn't "fair".

Neither is executing people for stealing candy bars.

Edit: We've had stuff vandalised, stolen, animals killed, etc. and we've never gone around killing people.

[ambushed]

Yes, you're right. I did, in essence, condone the death penalty for somebody stealing a 50 cent candy bar... however, I also said, a petty theft like that should really only get a very long prison sentence because it is not really causing much misery to anyone. If a person got the death penalty (or got shot) for stealing a 50 cent candy bar, however, that wouldn't bother me, I wouldn't care & I would think that it serves them right, in a way, because they shouldn't steal, even something as little as that.

You said "...but at what cost to society and otherwise good people." Who are the "otherwise good people"? You cannot say burglars & anyone who does another hurtful crime (with intent) good people, can you? Anybody who steals anything in my mind is untrustworthy & evil. They are useless to society, Some person said they feel sorry for people who are "driven to crime & theft". No one is ever driven to crime & theft. It is their choice. If they cannot afford to buy something, then they should find ways, or, they should do what a lot of tramps/bums do & beg - it is better than stealing.

I was referring to the people guilty of speeding, copyright infringement, petty theft, ect that are often "otherwise good people" and not the burglars and other violent criminals. Ive committed all of those at some point in my life. 99% of people with more than a few hours of experience driving would have been guilty of low range speeding at some point and probably a significant percentage of the users of this site for the 2nd one. Would they warrant execution? And yeah when much younger than i am now have shoplifted items valued < 5$. Yeah it was wrong but hasnt happened in prob 8-10 years and not again. Regardless i still regard myself as someone of moral and integrity and and have contributed plenty to society and will continue to in the future. Same applies to many others.

Prison is pointless as it is a waste of tax payers money & people get let out earlier than they should (with many re-offending). Prisons can also be very lenient. I know of one prisoner I was reading about who got a TV & everything. They shouldn't! If prison is that nice to them, they are more likely to re-offend. If anything, they should stay in thier stone cell with a stone toilet & a very uncomfortable bed. The fact that they have offended in that way once before, means they should get the death penalty. It serves them right! Get them off the face of this earth as they are useless to society & some of them have murdered/hurt innocent people.

+1. I think it's a terrible indictment of society when a homeless person could commit murder and effectively receive an upgrade to their quality of life.

You say what will the death penalty do to society? Well what does that mean? The only thing it can do is stop people wanting to commit hurtful crimes, can't it? It would be good to society. I mean, I only mean the death penalty should be used in cases where it is 100% proven that the criminal has done the crime -like in this case of robbery. If the homeowner had shot them so they were just injured before the police came, then you would know for sure it was them who did it.

Again, referring to copyright infringement ect. You add up the number of people who have sped at any point in their lives and you've probably just executed 50% of the country's population. Most would be "good" people that have contributed plenty to the economy and society. I don't know how you could think that would be a good thing.

[Calum Veteran]

I was referring to the people guilty of speeding, copyright infringement, petty theft, ect that are often "otherwise good people" and not the burglars and other violent criminals. Ive committed all of those at some point in my life. 99% of people with more than a few hours of experience driving would have been guilty of low range speeding at some point and probably a significant percentage of the users of this site for the 2nd one. Would they warrant execution? And yeah when much younger than i am now have shoplifted items valued < 5$. Yeah it was wrong but hasnt happened in prob 8-10 years and not again. Regardless i still regard myself as someone of moral and integrity and and have contributed plenty to society and will continue to in the future. Same applies to many others.

....

Again, referring to copyright infringement ect. You add up the number of people who have sped at any point in their lives and you've probably just executed 50% of the country's population. Most would be "good" people that have contributed plenty to the economy and society. I don't know how you could think that would be a good thing.

If you look at all my previous posts, I only said a person who is killed for robbery, murder, rape, pedophilia, etc, is ok in my eyes. I never talked about minor crimes which don't really hurt anyone (even somebody who intentionally drink-drives & ends up killing someone through that - they shouldn't get killed, as it is manslaughter, but they should have a very long prison sentence). I believe these 'minor' crimes do not really hurt many people. Especially as much as major theft (of sentimental items, laptops & backups, expensive items, etc), rape or murder. Thus, these 'minor' crimes should only be punished by a prison sentance (albeit, very harsh prison, as all prisons should be - refer to a previous post of mine).

Again, looking at my last post, I am not saying capital punishment should necessarily be bought back, as it would cause a lot of outrage (although I personally would like it bought back if it convicts people who the court are 100% sure have robbed / murdered / raped).

I am merely saying, if a person kills somebody committing these crimes in their own home or trying to murder / rape them on the street, then they should not be sent to jail & there should not even be a trial for them, because they are acting in self defense to an evil person who is trying to hurt them both physically & emotionally (& maybe even trying to kill them).

These evil people are, in my mind, useless to society & also harmful to society! If they have commited the crime once, they are more likely to do it again! Especially with our lenient prisons (which is basically a nice holiday for some prisoners!!).