Death of a Burglar
Terry Traub
February 5, 2005
A home owner in New Bedford, Massachusetts, shot and killed a suspected burglar. Now the deceased man's family wants him prosecuted for murder. The original story is at the Boston Globe's website. The suspect had ripped off someone's purse at a bar earlier that evening and there was evidence he had tried to break into vehicles in the home owner's driveway as well.
My favorite quote is from the burglar's sister:
"We have wanted to see him in jail since the day it happened," Pereira's sister, Missy Cimbron, told The Standard Times of New Bedford. "A life was taken. Regardless of the situation, you should be in jail."
Now these people are holding a "candlelight vigil" until they see "justice" done. One wonders how Ms. Cimbron would feel had her own home been burglarized. Would she have offered the home invader a cup of coffee? A nice big bag for him to put his stolen things in? A lift to the bus stop? It boggles the mind.
In this country, of course, we cherish the notion of due process of law; that is, people are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Frontier-style vigilante justice is sometimes a bit too quick. Recall that poor Japanese student who was knocking on the wrong door in Louisiana a few years ago, or those two Scottish blokes who were lost in a Dallas suburb. These men were shot to death by gun toting homeowners who jumped to conclusions and shot an easy, defenseless target.
However, burglary is different from knocking on a door. When someone attempts forced entry to your home, they have crossed the line from presumed innocence to presumed guilt. You can't simply wait to see if their intentions are benevolent. In a time when people are routinely murdered in their own homes, it is understandable that someone is not going to want to lock themselves in a closet and wait for the police, who are generally not interested in confronting a live and possibly armed culprit. Let's face it; police are not paid enough to risk their lives; they are going to go "by the book" and follow procedures very carefully. That may mean a slight delay before a patrol car arrives.
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