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Skaven wrote: i believe that murder may have been to strong of a verdict, but I think at minimum he would be guilty of manslaughter, or a lesser murder.

It would have been manslaughter if he kept just kept firing after the robber was no longer a threat. Leaving then coming back and shooting him again made it murder.

steveincowtown wrote:When was the "aforethought?"

That was when he returned to the scene and shot him several more times. Premeditation doesn't require a long planning process, just time enough to think about what you are doing. The jury apparently decided that in the time between the first shots and when he came back, he decided to kill the robber.

The first shot was justified, but his mistake was going back toward the robber after he was down. IIRC he said that the robber was eaching for his gun while on the floor, but that part was off camera.

As armed citizens, once an assailant is down we should take the opportunity to exit the scene and wait for law enforcement in a safe place. I have no problem with leaving a criminal to bleed to death on the floor if it keeps me safe and out of prison.