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Roatan and Bay Islands Discussion List Archive
| Posted On: | 24-Apr-2005 |
| From: | "cunamara1940" [cunamara.....hn] |
| Subject: | [roatan] Re: Murder charges |
I would also appreciate any "informed" comment on the broader issue. As in the US, it is my understanding that you can't kill someone simply because they intruded onto your property, even if they were armed. There must be evidence that your life appeared to be genuinely at risk (as you indicated was the case in this instance). For example, the law doesn't permit you to simply shoot an intruder who, having been confranted, tried to run away. It is also my understanding that someone can be held for up to 6 days while "probable cause" is determined; in other words, whether or not the killing was justified. After that, they are supposed to be released or charged, depending on whether "probable cause" was found. Given the quality and promptness of investigations here, I assume that many people are charged after six days primarily as a way of insuring that they don't simply disappear before an investigation is completed. After the investigation is completed, the charges would just be dropped if it failed to show sufficient evidence for prosecution. I bring this up (based on my inexpert and 2nd hand undedrstandings) because I often hear some rather cavalier comments about just blowing burglars away. This is not to invite a debate on whether or not we would live in a safer world if one was free to do exactly that but, rather, to caution people that such simple solutions might lead to some pretty unhappy complications in the current real world. For anyone who has decided to arm themselves for self-protection, it's probably a good idea to find out when one can use a weapon without inviting a bunch of unwelcome trouble. Hoping to hear some good news on Peter's situation, Tom --- In roatan.....com, Marcia Quinn-Strehlow wrote: > > I understand that Peter of Port Royal was charged with murder in the case where he killed one of three ARMED intruders in February. It seemed to be a clear case of self defense because the intruders had weapons that were used on the Americans and their lives were in danger. I'm told it has aleady costed thousands of dollars to hire an attorney to fight this case. > If anyone has up-to-date news on this case, please pass it along. It's very unsettling that those of us who have made Roatan our home can be charged with a serious crime for defending our lives and property. > Marcia Quinn Strehlow > castaways01....... > > > > _____ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com > > http://www.roatanet.com To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/roatan/ roatan- : | |
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