I know the last thread about Joe Horn got a little heated. here is an update of whats happening from the Chronicle. I argued very hard for the legality of Joe Horn's actions. I still believe he is innocent. But there is still a psychological toll one has to pay. Its not easy shooting someone (unless youre a cold blooded killer...) Gun owners have rights that are protected by the Constitution. But they must also think long and hard before pulling that trigger. Owning a gun requires a lot of responsibilities including the ability to take someones life. That is something that should be taken very very seriously. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5840087.html June 17, 2008, 3:11AM Grand jury could decide on Horn case this week By BRIAN ROGERS Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle Joe Horn, the Pasadena man who shot and killed two burglars after they emerged from his neighbor's home last year, regrets that decision, his attorney said Monday as a Harris County grand jury began hearing evidence in the case. "Was it a mistake from a legal standpoint? No. But a mistake in his life? Yes," said defense lawyer Tom Lambright. "Because it's affected him terribly. And if he had it to do over again, he would stay inside. "I don't think anybody can really appreciate the magnitude that something like this has on a person's personality." Horn's decision to ignore a 911 operator's advice to stay inside and instead confront and fatally wound two men he saw burglarizing a neighbor's home on Nov. 14 made him the subject of national media scrutiny. Lambright said Horn, 62, didn't expect to be involved in a shooting, but rather expected to see the two men running or driving away. "He thought he was gathering evidence for the police department," Lambright said. Autopsies of Diego Ortiz, 30, and Hernando Riascos Torres, 38, two unemployed illegal immigrants from Colombia, revealed they died from wounds inflicted by Horn's 12-gauge shotgun. Police said both were shot in the back as one moved toward Horn and then angled to the curb, while the other fled in the opposite direction. Horn caught them leaving the neighbor's house with a sack containing more than $2,000 in cash and jewelry, police said. A Harris County grand jury has begun hearing evidence as it considers whether the retired grandfather should be indicted and face criminal charges, or be no-billed and have the case dismissed. Lambright said he has not decided whether Horn will testify before the grand jury. Horn has been invited to tell his side of the story, but his attorney would not be allowed in the room. "He's upbeat," Lambright said. "But he would like to have this case behind him." Lambright also said Horn now remembers more about the incident. "A lot of it was a blur when it first happened." ( , i have to think his lawyer is coaching him here...) The panel could make a decision by the end of the week, a spokesman for the Harris County District Attorney's Office said. Scott Durfee would not confirm anything about a possible grand jury presentation, including when or whether one is taking place, but said a resolution is "very likely by the end of the month" and "could be as early as the end of the week." Durfee has said scientific testing, including autopsies, delayed the grand jury presentation. District Attorney Ken Magidson confirmed that the matter is pending before a grand jury, but he added: "The Code of Criminal Procedure directs that grand jury proceedings are secret."
He thought he was gathering evidence?????? Horn needs to fire his lawyer right now if his lawyer thinks that is a solid defense. Listen to the tape.... Horn asked the dispatcher if the dispatcher wanted him to stop the burglars. Bottomline...Horn let his redneck emotions get the best of him and committed a crime because of it. Jails are full of people who make stupid decisions when they are angry.
i was gathering evidence....even though you told me not to...i wanted to gather DNA evidence from the robbers. That's why I brought Ole Bessie with me.
With a shotgun rofl? and you shoot the guy whos fleeing and you expect him not to live? Send this guy to jail for a month to get his head right
Unless they're illegals one of whom was deported for selling cocaine. I kid, I kid. I frankly don't buy his remorse and don't care if he is charged or not.
I am on the fence about this one......he shot two criminals.....which I have a very hard time feeling sorry for..... If I were on his jury, I am not sure I could convict him. DD
I am sure he feels horrible, he should have thought of the consequences before he did it.... But they were engaged in criminal behavior....... This is the classic case of two wrongs not making a right. I totally get that side of the argument, and honestly I do not know how I feel.... I think Horn overeacted, but these guys were criminals.....and they took the risk when they decided to rob the house.... I don't know.....that would be a hard decision for me as a juror to make.....I would probably side with Mr. Horn, and let his maker decide. DD
I realize there's a strong undercurrent of protecting the home, but Horn's overreaction was criminal behavior. Instead of waiting for the law, it sounded like he was embolded to take action when the operator told him to wait. The burglars took the risk of getting shot or getting arrested. If you're placing that standard upon them, then Horn is taking the risk of being incarcerated for his actions. Letting him free won't make the streets safer. If anything, it could prompt more desperate burglars to arm themselves when they decide to roam again.
I, too, have no sympathy for the victims here, AT ALL! But the law must be followed and your lack of sympathy for the victims has zero to do with how you should rule as a juror. The facts of the case are the only thing that matters. If you were in the jury pool, you should be struck because of your lack of objectivity.
I can't say I feel bad for the criminals for two reasons: 1. Having had my house robbed with the EXACT MO as these fools a couple of weeks before this incident, I wished my neighbor was Joe "Move and You're Dead" Horn instead of the idiot who actually lives next to me who said "Wow, you got robbed? We were in the back yard the whole time and didn't hear anything!" 2. Thieves, especially burglars in the old common law definition, take a risk with their chosen profession that they might chance upon someone that is home and get killed in the process of their work. They make this choice knowingly and thus I am not surprised when occasionally they are killed "at work". I will say this. I have now told my neighbors "please protect my home as you would your own." Now, if someone is on my property, I feel like I have given them permission to do something about it.
