How is shooting someone else, from your yard, in your neighbors home self defense again? Then again how is shooting someone in the back self defense?
Ironically there are many who feel these men got what they deserved based on the very fact that they were here "illegally" to begin with. And that picture of the "Smiling Joe" was it taken before or after the incident? Would not suprise me if it was after.

Thank you for the link to the "Beautiful" site. I admire the blogger there as she {I believe she is Ann} lets the articles she posts do all the talking.
That's quite an accomplishment and her ability to find just the right words that others have written while at the same time presenting her arguments silently is an impressive talent.
If she is not a lawyer, she should be. If I am somehow confused about Ann's authorship or editorial control at "Beautiful" would someone please correct me?
By reading that site I also learned that Horn is not all that bright as he allowed his intent to kill the alleged burglars to be recorded, before he did so.
He's a got a problem now, even in Texas.
I've got some other comments to make about better ways to deal with burglary, but they can't be made here -- I would rather not be the object of government interest.

One more sad story. I agree with you on this one, Nez.

Yes. Joe Horn is a murderer.

And his community is complicit. I saw the video of the protest. The smiling children learning from their elders what it is to hate.

Never ceases to amaze me, the rationalizations human beings come up with to avoid the truth of their own acts. Hard work to view another human being as worthless, to think murder is ever justified. Horn was working very hard that day. And his community is working hard, too.

The truth takes no more effort than to turn away from fear. Not hard work at all.

Ironically there are many who feel these men got what they deserved based on the very fact that they were here "illegally" to begin with. And that picture of the "Smiling Joe" was it taken before or after the incident? Would not suprise me if it was after.

I find it really disturbing when people make arguments like "they got what they deserved" in relation to murder, too. I mean, seriously, how far do we extend the death penalty when the people who suffer for it are marginalized to begin with? I mean, I've seen it extended to the point of "their existence made me uncomfortable."

I guess it's arguable that this wasn't a hate crime, but the idea that it's self-defense to shoot a man in the back? What if they hadn't been burglars? What if they'd been white men? What if they were both white and not burglars? What if Joe Horn had dark skin?

If Joe Horn had dark skin and shot two white men he had good reason to believe were robbing his own house, I have no doubt he'd be up for - at least - manslaughter.

Since when is the penalty for burglary death, anyway? Never? Oh.

And, at the moment Mr. Horn shot these two men, were they perhaps wearing large signs stating "Illegal Immigrant" around their necks? No? Huh.

So, how do either of those two things justify shooting them to death? It doesn't? I thought not.

Yeah, I noticed that contrived red, white and blue background, too. That image is so telling: the criminal brown men, and the "good American." So patriotic, defending one's (or another's?) home with deadly force. So ugly.

Many things to consider and obviously the scary part is that Joe may indeed get off (in more ways than one).

"First, when threatened violence exists, it is the duty of the person threatened to use all prudent and precautionary measures to prevent the attack"
There was no threat of violence except from good ol' Joe

"Secondly, if after having taken such proper precautions, a party should be assailed, he may undoubtedly repel force by force, but in most instances cannot, under the pretext that he has been attacked, use force enough to kill the assailant or hurt him after he has secured himself from danger; such as if a person unarmed enters a house to commit a larceny"
Again Joe was never asssailed and it was never proven if his neighbors were as well.

"Homicide may be excused where a man has no other probable means of preserving his life"
Once again Joe was never in this predictament.

And lasty probably the one that says it all: "Self-defense cannot include killing or great bodily harm to defend property, unless personal danger is also involved"
Joe himself was never in any personal danger and can not assume that his neighbors were.

I do not know what is more disheartening the fact that lives are being lost or the fact that the veil of so called laws allow it to continualy happen.

Thank you for boiling it down, Christina.

I just don't see how this remotely qualifies as self-defense.

I think that many of us would see it a bit differently if Mr. Horn's house was the one being burgled.

But it wasn't. So he's a murderer.

joe horn is definitely a murderer. and it's undeniably an issue of race though many folks here in Houston are arguing otherwise. a few more interesting footnotes: Joe is reportedly "depressed". When asked if he would do it all over again, he said "No". He's also gone into hiding recently b/c someone called in a death threat saying that there are folks waiting to kill him in the joint if he's indicted and also on the outside if he's exonerated. No doubt he is feeling some serious remorse.