Lebanon, industry — An Indiana homeowner accused of killing a janitor was charged Monday with first-degree murder in a case that raises questions about the limits of stand-your-ground laws.
Curt Anderson could face up to 10 to 30 years in prison if convicted and a $10,000 fine. Jay Relford, the homeowner’s attorney, did not respond to a voice message seeking comment before the indictment.
Officers found Maria Florinda Rios Perez de Velasquez, 32, dead on the front porch of a home in Whitestown, a suburb of Indianapolis, on November 5. Authorities said the immigrant from Guatemala was part of a cleaning crew that went to the wrong house.
Her husband told the media that he was with her on the balcony and someone shot through the front door. He did not realize that she had been shot until she fell into his arms, bleeding.
Indiana is one of 31 states with a standing law that allows homeowners to use deadly force to stop anyone they believe is trying to illegally enter their residence. But police said there was no evidence that the woman entered the home before she was shot.
The case echoes a similar incident in Missouri in 2023 when an 86-year-old man shot Ralph Jarl after the 16-year-old black teen came to his door by mistake. Missouri has a similar law, but prosecutors charged the shooter, Andrew Lester, with first-degree assault and armed criminal action. He eventually pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and did not stand trial.
In New York, which has no established law, a man was convicted in 2024 of second-degree murder for fatally shooting a woman inside a car that accidentally fell into the driveway of his rural home upstate.
Judy Madera, an Indiana University law professor who specializes in gun rights, said last week that Rios’ case was “horrific” and “exceptionally unusual.”
She added that in order for a shooter to get standing-the-ground immunity, he had to prove that he believed he was in imminent danger and that any other reasonable person would feel the same way in that situation.
In general, the public can legally access private property — including a front porch — for a legitimate purpose until they are asked to leave, Madera said. For example, a homeowner couldn’t legally shoot a pizza delivery person or Amazon driver simply for entering their property, she said.
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