Home defense - "may very well have been justified"

seamusTX · #1

Minneapolis area: Ex-boyfriend stalking and threatening ex-girlfriend and her current boyfriend. Already has charges against him. Breaks into her apartment, armed. New boyfriend eliminates the threat.

County Attorney Thomas Kelly ... said he will decide whether any charges are warranted against Cegon [new boyfriend] after the investigation is over and an autopsy done on Richter, who did not fire his handgun.

Cegon "may very well have been justified in taking another one's life," ...

Nice attitude.

http://www.startribune.com/467/story/875873.html

Note the photo of the ex.

- Jim

jbirds1210 · #2

Isnt that the big scary fellow that played football in Revenge of the Nerds? I always wondered what happened to him!

KBCraig · #3

From the article:

"You killed me," the couple recall Richter saying.

Cegon squeezed the trigger again.

"I shot him again to make sure he didn't get up," Cegon said.

I like it: "You killed me!" "Well, maybe, but just in case I didn't... " *boom*

seamusTX · #4

It does seem contradictory to say, "You killed me."

- Jim

Skipper5 · #5

Tragic actually....but it's not as if they had no prior warning. The young mother and new boyfriend made every effort to avoid such a confrontration.
Once again- on home invasions...that other guy was not over for a tea party!!

KD5NRH · #6

Skipper5 wrote:TOnce again- on home invasions...that other guy was not over for a tea party!!

And once again, proof that shotguns work *so* much better for home defense. I hope he buys the friend he borrowed it from a really nice dinner.

txinvestigator · #7

KBCraig wrote:From the article:

"You killed me," the couple recall Richter saying.

Cegon squeezed the trigger again.

"I shot him again to make sure he didn't get up," Cegon said.

I like it: "You killed me!" "Well, maybe, but just in case I didn't... " *boom*

In Texas that would guarantee Cegon a trip to the Pen.

Thane · #8

I can see why he shot the BG a second time. This is the BG that not only made threats against them, not only went out of his way to bang on the grandparents' door and make more threats, but held a knife on the girlfriend while threatening to kill them both. He certainly did a good job of convincing them that, so long as he lived, they were in danger. If the first shot didn't kill him, he could have come back after his hospital/prison stay, and tried again. No way to know if he really would have done that, but he sure convinced the young couple he was capable of such. I can't say I wouldn't have fired the second shot, either (can anyone who has family predict what they would do in this young man's situation? probably not).

Granted, all this means nothing unless/until it's presented to a jury, and I have absolutely no idea whether they would convict. I'm sure this WILL be brought before a jury, though.

TXInvestigator, I have to say you're unfortunately most likely correct. I can understand why he fired the second shot, and don't necessarily disagree with the necessity of that shot; but this young man is in for a world of legal hurt.

KBCraig · #9

txinvestigator wrote:In Texas that would guarantee Cegon a trip to the Pen.

I doubt it.

The BG was on the floor with the pistol he was carrying when he broke into the home and smashed down the bedroom door; he was alive and alert enough to speak, and could certainly be perceived as a continued threat.

Cegon said "I didn't want him to get up again." I wouldn't either. His very recent history demonstrated his intent and ability to kill everyone in the house. Were it me, I'd do as Cegon did: shoot until he was completely incapacitated.

I'd be very surprised if 99% of Texas DAs would push for an indictment in an identical shooting. I'd be even more surprised if a jury would convict. If there's ever been a clear case of "He needed killin', yer honor!", this was it.

Kevin

stroo · #10

The court order against the ex-boyfriend really worked well didn't. Except for the second shot, this would be absolutely clear cut. I would be willing to bet that if he does get prosecuted, the jury finds him not guilty even in Minnesota.

KBCraig · #11

There's another part of the story no one has commented on yet:

(Cegon) said he won't keep a gun in his home anymore.

"I never had one. I never hunted. I never wanted one," he said, as Simons held his hand.

The guy's going through a rough time. He's never owned a gun; he borrowed one for two weeks and had to kill a man. I hope with time he can come to accept that the gun was not a bad thing, and that it saved his life and his girlfriend's, and possibly that of her two year old son.

After all:

"We didn't want any problems with him," Cegon said. "I didn't do it. He did it to himself."

Kevin

stevie_d_64 · #12

It's an interesting story, tragic, yet another example of why you should be very reserved in your commentary to anyone outside of the investigation...

But thats just my opinion...

txinvestigator · #13

KBCraig wrote:
txinvestigator wrote:In Texas that would guarantee Cegon a trip to the Pen.
I doubt it.

The BG was on the floor with the pistol he was carrying when he broke into the home and smashed down the bedroom door; he was alive and alert enough to speak, and could certainly be perceived as a continued threat.

Cegon said "I didn't want him to get up again." I wouldn't either. His very recent history demonstrated his intent and ability to kill everyone in the house. Were it me, I'd do as Cegon did: shoot until he was completely incapacitated.

I'd be very surprised if 99% of Texas DAs would push for an indictment in an identical shooting. I'd be even more surprised if a jury would convict. If there's ever been a clear case of "He needed killin', yer honor!", this was it.

Kevin

Nope, he dropped the gun.

A loaded gun fell from his hand.

Deadly force is NOT justified base don what someone "might" do in some future encounter.

Do the words 'immediately necessery" ring a bell?

The guy was shot, laying on the floor, with no weapon. He even had time to speak. Cegon executed him with a coup de grace.

"he needed killin" is not a justification. The criminal justice system is in place for a reason, and our laws are to allow us to defend ourselves. It does not allow us to murder people who are evil, done evil things or might come back and do evil things again.

Were I a DA I would ask for an indictment. I imagine most DA's would follow the law and do the same.

Roger Howard · #14

KBCraig wrote:There's another part of the story no one has commented on yet:

(Cegon) said he won't keep a gun in his home anymore.

"I never had one. I never hunted. I never wanted one," he said, as Simons held his hand.
The guy's going through a rough time. He's never owned a gun; he borrowed one for two weeks and had to kill a man. I hope with time he can come to accept that the gun was not a bad thing, and that it saved his life and his girlfriend's, and possibly that of her two year old son.

After all:
"We didn't want any problems with him," Cegon said. "I didn't do it. He did it to himself."

Kevin

It doesn't sound like he will ever own a firearm again even if it did save their lives. how sad.

AV8R · #15

stevie_d_64 wrote:It's an interesting story, tragic, yet another example of why you should be very reserved in your commentary to anyone outside of the investigation...

But thats just my opinion...

....and especially reserved to anyone inside the investigation.

The only three things you should say to a policeman:
1) Yes, sir.
2) No, sir.
3) My name is ____.