This week, a Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, woman shot and killed an alleged intruder around 5:00 a.m. on Wednesday. The woman walked into her basement to find the intruder, where she fired a 9mm handgun, killing the man.
Reportedly, the man, later identified as 49-year-old Brent Farmer, entered the residence by breaking the glass leading into the basement. The resident claimed she didn’t hear the glass breaking but heard Farmer rummaging around in the basement.
Police say upon finding the intruder, she fired three shots from her pistol. Julian Jackson, a local resident, walked outside to find the crime scene taped off. “I just woke up and my friend called me and asked me what was going on on my block,” he said
According to police, the woman legally owned the gun. Furthermore, Beaver County District Attorney Nathan Bible explained that the woman would likely not face charges as she acted in self-defense in accordance with Pennsylvania’s “Stand Your Ground” laws.
“A resident heard glass breaking. She went down into the basement to see what was going on, opened the door to the basement. There was an individual there she did not know,” said Beaver County District Attorney Nathan Bible. “At this time, she’s not being charged with anything. Everything was properly done,” Bible added. “You obviously have the right to protect your house when somebody breaks in.”
Pennsylvania is one of many states that have adopted “Stand Your Ground” laws, also referred to as “Castle Doctrine,” which expands the rights of individuals to use lethal force in situations of self-defense lawfully. According to the Law Office of Roy Galloway, LLC, “Building on these laws, Pennsylvania has instituted what is known as the “Castle Doctrine.” The Castle Doctrine states that it is assumed deadly force is reasonable in three specific cases: If someone is in the process of unlawfully entering your home, work, or occupied vehicle. If someone has unlawfully entered your home, work, or occupied vehicle. If someone tries to unlawfully remove you from your home, work, or occupied vehicle.”
The law office noted that in a situation where someone has employed deadly force in a justifiable self-defense scenario, the Castle Doctrine necessitates that the prosecution determine the lethality of force was unreasonable.
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“If you are indicted in a case in which you’ve taken deadly force upon someone in these scenarios, the law protects you as the Castle Doctrine presumes that deadly force was necessary. This places a huge burden on the prosecution to prove that your actions were unreasonable given the circumstances. When the law itself is stating the use of deadly force is reasonable, however, it makes it almost impossible to prove the contrary. If you find yourself charged with a violent offense, it’s important to have a lawyer who knows and understands all there is to know about self defense laws. The right lawyer can mean the difference between years in prison and an acquittal. Contact the Law Office of Roy Galloway to have an aggressive and experienced attorney on your side,” the law office continued.