Student kills intruder with sword

[Diablini]

I was reading my hometown paper online when I came across this article [http://pantagraph.com/news/article_ac7c8fcc-a20c-11de-8cb4-001cc4c002e0.html] which talks about a college student who killed an intruder with a samurai sword. To sum up the article, on Monday there had been a burglary at the house where a couple of laptops and a PlayStation were stolen. On Tuesday morning one of the students who lived in the house noticed the garage door was open and took his sword to investigate. The student saw a guy in there and when the student told him to leave the guy attacked him. The student then cut off the guy's hand with the sword and gave him a huge cut to the chest which led to the intruders death.

What do you guys think? Crazy? Awesome? Crazy awesome?

(Also, I searched and couldn't find anything but if someone beat me to the punch on this just let me know)

Edit: To add a few more details, this happened in Baltimore, Maryland and it doesn't look like any charges have been pressed against the kid but I'll keep looking for updates on it if anything changes.

Self defence.

 

[QuirkyTambourine]

What a way to go out, trying to steal and ended up on the bad end of a Samurai sword.

I hope the guy gets off on a self-defense plea though.

 

[Low Key]

My understanding of the law says the guy is free and clear of any charges. Shooting and killing the intruder would have been no different, and that happens more often than you think, with the resident not getting in trouble at all.

Having a katana in your home is not illegal. They wouldn't sell them if it was, like switchblades.

 

[KittywifaMohawk]

Pretty fucking sweet I must say. Even though he might get in trouble for it.
Kudos to him.

 

[LockHeart]

It depends, does Baltimore subscribe to the Castle Doctrine? If it does then he'll probably get off free, otherwise, considering that the man went to attack him, he'd probably have a fairly good case to argue self-defence on. Either way, kudos to the guy, that burglar got what he deserved.

 

[Jamash]

It's lucky for the student that he killed the only witness to the incident... who knows what really happened...

I'm slightly puzzled to how he managed to swing the sword while the intruded had him "forced up against the wall"... an almost severed hand seems like a defensive wound to me.

 

[kawligia]

Haven't heard of that one.
That kid's going to prison though.

The kid would have been fine if he didn't kill him. Unfortunately the kids done for but I'll hand it to him. Crazy Supreme Awesome Win.

(Also 777 luck post awesome I just noticed it.)

That's pretty awesome and all, but I don't think that was the needed amount of force defense-wise.

He's getting charged with Manslaughter for sure.

I don't know why you people think he is necessarily going to jail. A burglar attacked him in his own home and he defended himself. That's textbook self defense and not a crime in ANY state.

Hell, about 2/3 of states have "castle doctrine" laws that AUTOMATICALLY PRESUME any intruder's death is the result of self defense.

Maybe if the burglar gave up and was trying to run away at the time of the mortal blow, then it may be excessive force and possibly manslaughter as a result, but this is unlikely.

Unless this is happened in California, Chicago, New York, or D.C., I give you 10:1 odds that he is NOT going to jail.

 

[Skeleon]

*snip*

Yeah, I know you Americans have a fondness of vigilantism and love your guns and all that, but I don't.
I know most people on this forum'll disagree with me.
It's still fucked up, though.
You don't kill a guy for breaking into your house and nicking some stuff. You kill a guy when your (or another's) life or health are in serious danger.
We had this discussion on this forum before but because of my personal moral values, I can never change my position.

 

[RavingPenguin]

*Looks at the katana lying under his bed*

...Let's hope that kind of thing doesn't happen again, huh?

I'm hedging my bets on that fact that you'd brobably hide in you closet.

OT: I would have done the same thing only much cleaner. One bullet is all it takes. I hope the kid doesnt go to prison though.

 

[Bob the Average]

shit, now there's going to be a movement to ban swords.

 

[I am Jack's smirking revenge]

The moral of this story:
Never attack someone who is carrying a fucking sword.

 

[Ninja_X]

This is the most epic thing I have ever heard.

 

[nerdsamwich]

I gotta say, if you're dumb enough to physically assault a guy who's carrying a sword, you deserve whatever happens to you. Likewise, if you break into someone else's house, you deserve whatever the occupant decides to do to you. I don't know about Maryland, but here in Idaho, it would have been perfectly legal to shoot the intruder on sight, whether he attacked or not.

 

[Megacherv]

Awesome... just awesome.

He kicked that intruder's ass.

No he didn't, he cut his hand off and sliced his chest...didn't you read it?

 

[Vel Getica]

It's one of my dreams and is legal, where I live, to kill someone when they're breaking into your house after dark. To the kid I say "kudos" and wonder to myself if my katana is better.

 

[Legion]

Considering the guy was charged with burglary before and was in a strangers home I think it's fair to say he was there to steal.

Therefore I think it was justified as self defence as the sword guy didn't know what the intruder was capable of.

That kid's going to prison though.

Unfortunately the kids done for but I'll hand it to him.

Not necessarily, unless the sword was illegal. If the guy had lot's of wounds then it could be considered murder. Two wounds is not excessive so he could get away with self defence.

Are samurai swords legal there?
Also, don't samurai swords have to be dulled so they're not their usual limb-killing selves?

No idea. I know in the UK you can own a sharp sword if it is authentic and you have a valid reason for it (collector, martial artist) but no idea about US law. Would be strange if you couldn't if you are allowed a gun though.

 

[Azraellod]

Edit: To add a few more details, this happened in Baltimore, Maryland and it doesn't look like any charges have been pressed against the kid but I'll keep looking for updates on it if anything changes.

no charges?

brilliant. this was fully justified, and pressing charges would be wrong in this situation.