An Indiana homeowner accused of killing a house cleaner was charged Monday with voluntary manslaughter in a case that raises questions about the limits of stand-your-ground laws.
Curt Anderson could face up to 10 to 30 years in prison if he’s convicted and a $10,000 fine. Guy Relford, an attorney for the homeowner, did not respond to a voice message seeking comment ahead of the charging decision.
Officers found Maria Florinda Rios Perez De Velasquez, 32, dead on the front porch of a home in Whitestown, an Indianapolis suburb, on Nov. 5. Authorities said the immigrant from Guatemala was part of a cleaning crew that had gone to the wrong house.
Her husband told media outlets that he was with her on the porch and someone fired through the front door. He didn’t realize that she had been shot until she fell back into his arms, bleeding.
Indiana is one of 31 states with a stand-your-ground law allowing homeowners to use deadly force to stop someone they believe is trying to unlawfully enter their dwelling. However, police stated that there’s no evidence the woman entered the home before she was shot.
The case echoes a similar incident in Missouri in 2023 when an 86-year-old man shot Ralph Yarl after the 16-year-old Black teenager mistakenly approached his door. Missouri has a comparable stand-your-ground law, but prosecutors charged the shooter, Andrew Lester, with first-degree assault, and he ultimately pleaded guilty to second-degree assault.
In New York, which lacks a stand-your-ground law, a man was convicted in 2024 for fatally shooting a woman who mistakenly drove into his driveway.
Jody Madeira, a law professor at Indiana University specializing in gun rights, stated that the Rios case was “horrible” and “exceptionally unusual.” For the shooter to gain stand-your-ground immunity, he must demonstrate that he perceived imminent danger, and that any reasonable person would have felt the same way in that situation.
Generally, the public can legally access private property, including a front porch, for legitimate purposes until asked to leave. Thus, a homeowner cannot legally shoot a delivery driver merely for stepping onto their property.
