Byron Smith Trial

Just a through job, well done.

If there was any insurance on the buglars, a carpet cleaning fee should be allocated for the one and only true victim.
 
thinkin old guy lost castle defense w/ "finishing shot to head " remark. ??
 
It would be a tough call...but the "finishing shot" means this guy should be taken out of society - permanently. I understand frustrations with thefts and the way a person feels violated by people invading their homes...but their is a limit.

You can't shoot a person in the head and enjoy it just because you can...legally...that is vile...if there is a hell...this man is on his way.

"Death Wish" was a cool movie - but we can't live our lives like that.

Of course...on the other side of the coin...if you don't break into people's houses...chances are old fools like this won't execute you.

Here is the key in my opinion...for me...yes, I live in a "diverse" neighborhood and I have a .357 Magnum revolver close at hand and an AK-47 with a 20 shot clip in my bedroom (handy). Now do I WANT to kill any invaders? No. I just want to keep myself safe and will be comfortable shooting any intruders if I absolutely have to. And if I have to, I will pull the trigger, a LOT. I ain't gonna get outgunned in my own place.

But given any chance, I would avoid a gunfight...even if I know I can win.

...you never can tell if that "thou shalt not kill" commandment might just be a hard and fast rule when you get to the Pearly Gates ;)
 
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The finishing shot part is difficult. There had been a history of prior burglaries.
The prosecution elected to charge him with first degree murder. Not a good choice, IMO, if they are trying to get a conviction. Seems more like a case of 2nd degree murder to me.
 
Having a tarp so blood didn't stain his carpet along with the 'finishing' shot would probably get him a guilty from me.
 
When someone breaks into your home repeatedly and enters your basement, I cannot fault the homeowner for finishing them off. His acts were flawed and it is sad that too young people died. But still the same I cannot fault him.

He did not provoke the event. He only responded, and I am not expecting an otherwise peaceful elderly gentlemen to handle matters professionally. By the time he started finishing the job it was already a train wreck and people often poor decisions when in fear.
Some will doubt his fear, but knowing when to turn off the on switch is easier said than done once provoked.

They were just 18 and perhaps would have matured into good citizens, but that wasnt the old defendants responsibility. He was in his home minding his own business.
No jury of 12 will find him guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt imo.
 
I think that a conviction here sends the message that it is not ok to defend yourself in your own home.
It's sad that young people lost their lives but I also think it's important not to punish someone for defending their well-being. Sounds like a case of "heat of the moment" rather than premeditated murder.
I'm seriously concerned about the state of mind of an individual that would choose to break into my home. To me, someone that burglarizes a residence is a desperate person. Desperate people are dangerous and unpredictable.
Bottom line, if you don't want to get dead, don't break into someone's home.
 
It still irk's the sh!t outta me when they show the criminals in perfect pictures, smiles and all but show the victim/defendant in the worst pictures imaginable.
 
I can see where he would be frustrated enough to shoot, and someone who breaks into an occupied dwelling probably deserves it, but the finishing shot shows more of a disrespect for human life, ( espically when the girl was unarmed). It's a shame these kids had no respect for other people's property. I wonder if those same parents that didn't raise them any better will be the one's suing this homeowner now.
 
This sounds like a very complicated story. I am very pro-life. However, I believe that you can forfeit that right if you choose to enter someone's home uninvited. A homeowner has every right to defend his home and his own life at your expense. The way he described the "kill shot" he gave the girl is a troubling issue however. I do see where he was afraid that if she lived she may sue him. It is impossible for me to fathom how, but it has happened in the past where a criminal breaks into someone's home and sues the homeowner for injuring them in defending themselves and wins. That makes no sense to me, but it scares the hell out of me to think that a person who tried to harm me would be able to then legally harm me financially. I'd rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6, though.
 
I'm not against defending your property. If someone broke into my home, I would shoot as well. You have every right to defend your home until there is no longer a threat. Once those kids were shot the first time, they were no longer a threat. You leave them lie and you call the cops. It's not up to you to take justice in your own hands and finish them off.
 
It will be interesting to see how both sides play this out. The initial shots may have been severe enough to cause death before help arrived. I think the premeditated part is going to be difficult to prove.
 
BobbyFord said:
It will be interesting to see how both sides play this out. The initial shots may have been severe enough to cause death before help arrived. I think the premeditated part is going to be difficult to prove.
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I think moving his truck down the street to make it appear as if he wasn't home might bite him in the ass a little. I mean, you're worried about break ins that have been happening, then you move your truck down the street out of sight?
 
breatheoflife said:
I think moving his truck down the street to make it appear as if he wasn't home might bite him in the ass a little. I mean, you're worried about break ins that have been happening, then you move your truck down the street out of sight?
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Yes, it'll be interesting.
 
breatheoflife said:
I think moving his truck down the street to make it appear as if he wasn't home might bite him in the ass a little. I mean, you're worried about break ins that have been happening, then you move your truck down the street out of sight?
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I have no problem with hiding the truck. If you think someone will break into your home, you shouldn't make it easy, and if you can surprise them with your presence and with a gun in hand, do it.

Edited to add: The kid had already broke into his home more than once, why let him control the timing of his thefts.
If somebody is repeatedly stealing from you, you should have the right to plan on her handling matters when the situation arises again.
 
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Greg said:
I have no problem with hiding the truck. If you think someone will break into your home, you shouldn't make it easy, and if you can surprise them with your presence and with a gun in hand, do it.
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Setting someone up to kill them, regardless of whether they are breaking the law, is still murder.
 
breatheoflife said:
Setting someone up to kill them, regardless of whether they are breaking the law, is still murder.
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We will have to agree to disagree :).
I just think if someone breaks into your home to steal you do indeed have the right.
 
Greg said:
We will have to agree to disagree :).
I just think if someone breaks into your home to steal you do indeed have the right.
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You have the right to stop the threat. Agreed. Not kill. If it takes killing to eliminate the threat, then have at it. I agree, kill away. In this case, the threat was eliminated long before the kill shots.
 
breatheoflife said:
You have the right to stop the threat. Agreed. Not kill. If it takes killing to eliminate the threat, then have at it. I agree, kill away. In this case, the threat was eliminated long before the kill shots.
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I dont even own a gun, but once you engage is shooting someone, I think the mindset to kill is engaged.

Stopping at the precise time is too much like multitasking. If they are worth shooting there worth killing (I am not trying to be cliche).

Once things start the lines get real blurred. The man would have never been expected to handle matters perfectly in real time had they not broke into his home.
And I dont think he should have just passively allowed the situation to go on indefinitely, and he could have.

He stopped it, there should be no joy in the deaths of the kids, but they bear the greater responsibility.
His finishing shots as imperfect as they were are unfortunate imo, but not criminal. He was justifiably driven to going over the top.

Note: probably my last post tonight. I am tired and getting redundant.

Have a good evening, maybe I will revisit topic tommorow.
 
Greg said:
I dont even own a gun, but once you engage is shooting someone, I think the mindset to kill is engaged.

Stopping at the precise time is too much like multitasking. If they are worth shooting there worth killing (I am not trying to be cliche).

Once things start the lines get real blurred. The man would have never been expected to handle matters perfectly in real time had they not broke into his home.
And I dont think he should have just passively allowed the situation to go on indefinitely, and he could have.

He stopped it, there should be no joy in the deaths of the kids, but they bear the greater responsibility.
His finishing shots as imperfect as they were are unfortunate imo, but not criminal. He was justifiably driven to going over the top.

Note: probably my last post tonight. I am tired and getting redundant.

Have a good evening, maybe I will revisit topic tommorow.
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I'm sorry, but I would think once you put your gun down, put a body on a tarp, and drag a tarp with a bloodied body across the room, the 'heat of the moment' is gone and you can think clearer about what you are doing.

Consecutive shots, I would agree, heat of the moment. When you shoot, stop cause of a jammed gun, switch guns, move a body, tell her shes "dying b*tch", then shoot her under her chin execution style, it's no longer justifiable.
 
As I said, it is just a really twisted story. The more I hear about what he did, like hiding his car to lure them in, makes me think he did something illegal. However, they still made the choice to break into his home and try to steal from him as it has been proven that they had already done to this guy and others in the past. If they hadn't done so, they would likely be alive today. Of course, maybe they would have broken into someone else's home and the prescription medicine they stole from that person could have been a matter of life and death to that person or that person could have been scared to death (as they seemed to be preying on the elderly), or the next person who's home they invaded may have killed them instead. You just never know. In the end, I'm just glad that if someone ended up dying it was the person who was committing the crimes in the first place.
 
He's 65, how long do you figure he serve before assuming room temperature?
 
He's gonna die in prison that's for sure.
I was skeptical at first but after hearing the audio, it became quite clear what happened.
 
This guy did take his right to defend himself way over the edge. Hard to prove otherwise since he provided all the evidence.
 
This guy was looking for a reason to kill people and he found it. They had no right to enter his home but multiple gunshots, mocking these people bleeding on his floor as he reloads. The tarp.... That is cold blooded. Good thing he got himself on tape or else there would be tons of americans(myself included probably) defending this guy to the bitter end. **** this scum. Hope he rots.
 
I'd never even heard about this audio until I read you guys talking about it here. That's pretty freaky. It sounds like he needs to be off the streets as well.
 
The guy was a fking nut job.

I have no issues with defending your home with deadly force if needed, but once the threat is gone you call the cops and let them take it from there.

He eliminated the threat, then proceeded to murder.
 
This guy went above and beyond "protecting" himself. There are to many red flags to consider him an innocent victim.
 
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