Double murder or case of self defense?

Breaking news in Little Falls, MN. There is a strange and very sad case of double murder of two teens in a small Minnesota town. News reports have it that the two teenagers, who are cousins, Nicholas Brady and Haile Kifer, never came home for Thanksgiving Dinner and family members became worried. By Friday, someone had made a suspicious activity call to police about a man named Byron Smith who lived on the outskirts of the town next to the MS River.

When the police arrived at Smith’s residence, he admitted right away to killing the two teens. They were found in his basement.

He claimed they broke into his home at about Noon on Thanksgiving Day and he shot them in self defense. A neighbor also told the news that his home had been broken into several times in the past and that he was fed up.

But why did he not report the shootings then? Police arrested him for 2nd degree murder. They are investigating whether he moved the bodies at all after shooting them, which they say, will build a case that his story doesn’t add up. The police believe that he may have used excessive force, but yet the county sheriff said that MN law says you can use deadly force when inside your home, “you do not have to retreat.”

The baffling part of this story is who the victims are. They are not your typical kids who you would suspect to be breaking into some guys home. Take a look at their pictures in the news source below. They were good looking kids. They both played sports. He was on the wrestling team. The community of Little Falls is in shock. There were large turnouts for candlelight vigils and the school has grief counselors available.

An attorney stated that reasonable self-defense is hard to disprove. He said, “You have a 60-something man, lives by himself, and he’s been broken into time after time… and he’s home on this occasion, one could reasonably believe that he was in grave danger.”

This is pretty much all the information the Sheriff’s Dept is giving so far, but they have a press conference set for tomorrow at 1:00 pm central.

Very unfortunate case of why would these two promising young kids do something so stupid as to break into a man’s home? Did the old man feel threatened? Heck, it was broad daylight so he wasn’t fumbling around in the dark, but at the same time he had been broken into several times.

One other thing reported by a neighbor was that he was a decent guy who kept to himself, but was taking care of his elder mother until she recently passed away. Maybe he was already on the edge and these kids chose the wrong day to find mischief.

Was this double murder or a case of self defense?

As more information comes to light I'm sure we'll know, but for now, what if these two kids were your usual suspects (Minorities, druggies, trailer trash), would he still have been charged so quickly with double murder, or would the authorities be waiting a while and siding with him that it was self defense?

Source

Guys full of it, fry the bassturd

I'm going to say pulling the self-defense card is just an excuse. I'm surprised no one got any witness statements from the neighbors. Maybe they can shed some light on the incident. No one in that area heard two shots?

Course when my neighbor shot an intruder, I didn't hear the shots either. So, I'm no better. But someone had to hear something or even seen the kids walk to his place. I saw the three intruders walk down the street.

Was the guy waiting till the bodies smelled before he called cops?

Adorable kids and highly doubt they were robbing him.

RIP

reply to post by Manhater


One neighbor did call police on him for some sort of suspicious activity the next day, but police haven't release what that was for yet.

Originally posted by Rezlooper
reply to post by Manhater

 

One neighbor did call police on him for some sort of suspicious activity the next day, but police haven't release what that was for yet.

I'm going to speculate, trying to get rid of the bodies by any means necessary.

reply to post by Manhater


That's a good one. Probably spot on!

Originally posted by Rezlooper
Take a look at their pictures in the news source below. They were good looking kids. They both played sports. He was on the wrestling team.

Take a look? No, thanks!

I'd rather look at the evidence instead of letting emotions toy with logic and reasoning. You've already started a bias assumption based on you're feelings from the photos. That shouldn't be a way for a jury to decide innocence or guilt, but sadly, sometimes it seems that people are fooled like this.

They were just looking for life advice from the guy living in a van down by the river when it all went south.

who the victims are. They are not your typical kids who you would suspect to be breaking into some guys home. Take a look at their pictures in the news source below. They were good looking kids. They both played sports.

reply to post by Rezlooper


good looks and sports dont stop kids from doing stupid things, i got in all sorts of trouble but from i get from the initial story that the old mans not telling the whole truth, but we will not know till investigation and trial

They did a stupid thing. They were young and didn’t deserve to die. Unless they had a weapon or were threatening/charged at him or something like that then it’s pretty clear that it’s excessive force and hopefully he spends the rest of his life in jail. This world is f*cked up.

Jordan vandersloot was a good looking kid and so was Ted bundy..looks dont mean squat...but what is fishy to me is that the old man shot the girl so easily? Because she's a girl, ...not trying to be prejudice, but you'd think the old man would have hesitated on girl or spared her because she's a girl...... Unless, .....the old man was sexually assaulting her, and the cousin tried to stop him and they both got shot. And That's why he didn't call the police because he tried to rape her. ....long shot , I know...but just thought I'd throw it out there.....

reply to post by TravisBickle451


I'm just saying that they are not your typical kids out breaking into homes. I don't doubt that they did it though. My thoughts are that they did as 'just something to do'

I kinda got an idea of the guy as a sick pervert in my head.. maybe he wanted to do things but something happened and shot them... in the basement? does not add up...

He should be watched..

Turns out that this was a horrific case of murder, well, IMO anyways. Some will still argue it was self defense because these kids broke into his home, but this guy was charged today with murder. You have to read the story here, but I warn you, it's very disturbing as Smith describes how he killed them.

Smith charged with Murder