Student turns samurai to slay burglar

Student turns samurai to slay burglar

news.ninemsn.com.au

A US student has killed a recidivist burglar with a samurai sword, slicing off his left hand and severely cutting his neck after he spotted the intruder in his garage, police said.

The undergraduate medical student at Baltimore's prestigious Johns Hopkins University was being questioned by police but he may not be charged if found to be acting in self-defense. Samurai swords are legal in the United States.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Interesting story I thought.

I think the main issue behind this, is should the student be charged with a crime? Personally, I think that if the burglar charged at him, then he was well within his rights to lash out with the sword.

There was an incident over here in Australia, a few years ago, when a man was lunged at by a burglar. As the guy jumped on him, he grabbed a knife, and the burglar fell onto it, recieving fatal injuries. The guy was convicted of manslaughter but this was later retracted by the court, as it wasnt his fault the burglar was stabbed

What do people think of this? Do we have the right to kill intruders if they enter our homes?

news.ninemsn.com.au
(visit the link for the full news article)

My understanding is that it is legal in the US to kill anyone at all on your property who you have not specifically invited there. No explanations needed. This technically includes trespassers or even people just cutting across the corner of your property, etc.

Don't know if the law has been changed or not. Also, if the student was a renter rather than an owner of the property that might change things...not sure.

reply to post by OzWeatherman


Oh yes... Your home is your sanctuary and when it is violate you are violated... When you catch a person in the act of violation a million different things can go through a million different minds... But I would bet the first thought would be about your personal safety and the safety of those closet to you....

As for me? If a caught a person in MY home... IF they ran away I would not be tempted to chase them down but I would chase them off my property. Now if said intruder came at me, I would defend myself as though fighting for my life.

Never take chances. Life doesn't always give you a second chance. One mistake and your in the news instead of your intruder.

Coolest. Kid. Ever.










Nuff said.

I saw this on the TV, and the thing that amazed me the most was the hand....

Do you realize what kind of samurai sword you would need to cut off a human hand cleanly? 1560 carbon steel ground to an absolute razor edge. This is a serious weapon, not some fun little souvenir. Thats a $1500 blade easily.

My first question would be, is he a highly-skilled samurai swordsman? I mean, it doesn't add up on that end.

Originally posted by SantaClaus
I saw this on the TV, and the thing that amazed me the most was the hand....

Do you realize what kind of samurai sword you would need to cut off a human hand cleanly? 1560 carbon steel ground to an absolute razor edge. This is a serious weapon, not some fun little souvenir. Thats a $1500 blade easily.

My first question would be, is he a highly-skilled samurai swordsman? I mean, it doesn't add up on that end.

Samurai sword is the most efficient cutting melee weapon designed. The old method to make one I think uses a forged steel by hammering, only the edge is 'carbonized' and tempered to desired hardness by exposure to hot coals, then rapid cooling by water. and the rest of the blade protected from the heat and carbonizing by clay. Finally, the edge is ground to razor sharpness. That process gives the blade a curved shape, a very hard edge that's brittle, although the blade overall remains flexible because most of it wasn't tempered.

You only need to know a bit that it's more effective at slicing and cutting than stabbing. Thugs know very little about sword fights or none at all, there's very little they can do to defend themselves against a sword attack unless they have a gun. Plus samurai swords are lighter in weight compared to western swords, it won't take much to use them effectively against your normal burglars

[edit on 15-9-2009 by ahnggk]

reply to post by OzWeatherman


In the US.. Its left to a couple of factors.

If the District Attorney decides to charge or not.

And if it gets to trial whether the jury sees you as a man killer or a man who had no choice except do what was necessary to survive.

But really. I think if someone breaks into your house.. Unless they run screaming out the door (or attempt to) then there shouldn't be a debate. In the middle of the night, when you awake to the door being kicked in or broken glass you may not have the chance to discern their intent.

reply to post by SantaClaus


This isn't true.

Modern technology has greatly reduced the cost of producing these swords (And mostly removed the art IMO)

I have a sword on my well that has been used to cut through a tatami mat, which when soaked is essentialy the same as cutting through a human thigh (Well some argue the arm)

Brand new this sword cost $500 dollars. As it was briefly used for a demonstration before it came into my ownership, it cost me $300 dollars.

Many of the cheaply made katanas on the market, as long as they are forged properly with the right materials are capable of cutting through humans.

Stainless steel katana, the type you only used to decorate however would simply break on a human while inflicting minor cuts and some blunt force damage.

I had two friends who got into one of their friend's dads sword collection, they had a small fight imitating a scene from an anime and the blades simply snapped because they were stainless steel hangers.

reply to post by ahnggk


You're pretty much correct here.. except I believe the entire blade is the same carbon. Unless it has a soft iron core (as some blades were made this way.)

The clay tempering however does produce a very unique formation on the edge.. I believe it is called martensite.

The katana is one of my favorite swords. A traditionally forged katana with it's Hamon (Wave pattern) is mesmerizing. Almost like a line of smoke shimmering of the blade. If that makes any sense.

Originally posted by Miraj
[The katana is one of my favorite swords. A traditionally forged katana with it's Hamon (Wave pattern) is mesmerizing. Almost like a line of smoke shimmering of the blade. If that makes any sense.

I believe I understand what you are talking about

I have some Japanese made Shun kitchen knives. They use the same wave pattern. As well as being very sharp (they have a steeper angle than most knives), the layered wave pattern in the steel makes them very attractive

reply to post by OzWeatherman


I've heard of these. I'd love to own, or make one some day.

It is very difficult to do this with a knife however. Because the metal is so thin, it you don't get the clay line almost exact on both sides I believe it can cause the blade to warp.

With a sword this is less of an issue since the temper doesn't usually go all the way through.

reply to post by Miraj


You are right, the knives are actually extremely fragile, although the blades are incredibly sharp. I have to wash them immediately after I use them with soft cloth, anything else will actually chip the blade. After paying $375 for that one knife....this is the last thing I want to happen

reply to post by SantaClaus

Do you realize what kind of samurai sword you would need to cut off a human hand cleanly?

Yes. Any cheap, $100 trash decorative sword would do quite nicely.

is he a highly-skilled samurai swordsman?

He "almost" cut off someone's hand? Meaning he swung and the person raised that hand (and probably jumped back) to defend himself. A hand is not going to stop even a minimally competant sword swing. Meaning if he hadn't raised his hand, and had simply jumped back, he wouldn't have been injured at all.

Sounds to me like he was carrying it to feel safe, when he saw the guy he swung reflexively.

reply to post by LordBucket


Some minimal technique is required to swing the sword. Otherwise it's useless.

But A quick swing with the proper technique? You'll cut arms off easily.

Originally posted by LordBucket

Yes. Any cheap, $100 trash decorative sword would do quite nicely.

Actually a cheap sword would end up doing blunt force trauma, not much slicing really.

He "almost" cut off someone's hand? Meaning he swung and the person raised that hand (and probably jumped back) to defend himself. A hand is not going to stop even a minimally competant sword swing. Meaning if he hadn't raised his hand, and had simply jumped back, he wouldn't have been injured at all.

Sounds to me like he was carrying it to feel safe, when he saw the guy he swung reflexively.

Well the guy had actually been robbed recently twice...so he probably had the sword somewhere where its was easily accessible. And according to couple of witnesses, they yelled at the burglar first, who then lunged at them. Thats when he swung the sword.

Im wondering if the hand and neck were cut at the same time? A properly constructed and maintained samurai sword would probably be able to do this easily

What amazes me more than the sword is the swords man. I mean a person can take any kind of weapon and kill but it takes some one proficient to wield it.

Anyone can swing a blade but to do it properly takes training.

I just hope he doesn't get into any trouble-that would be unfair. He did the right thing. Nobody forced the burglar to go to his house.