Johns Hopkins Undergrad Kills Burglar with a Samurai Sword

[knight_shadow]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

ETA: Elsewhere In Baltimore, a man defends himself with a machete

Well, damn. I lived in Harford County when I lived in MD, and I never heard about stuff like this happening.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by RU OX Alum

What if the man is armed? The burglar, i mean.

It's a consideration.

But this happened in the garage, not the home. That means that in all likelihood, (we have to speculate) the swordsman pursued the burglar into there. In most places, you don't have a duty to retreat within the home, but the garage, especially since it's not attached is probably (this may be a wrinkle in Maryland law which as an Oklahoman I wouldn't know) not part of the 'home.'

At any rate, your next step is to determine whether there was a reasonable belief that the burglar posed a PRESENT danger to the swordsman. If the first couple of strikes had effectively abated the danger and the swordsman could safely retreat, he's got a good chance of goin' to the pokey.

[DaemonSeid]

New Details Emerge about the case

[mccoyred]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

well JHU is like a hop skip and a gunshot away from the hood so this isn't exactly a surprise about the crime rate.

It's amazing how many kids come to Baltimore wide eyed and after they graduate they know better...

Unfortunately, there is a lot of crime near campus. When I lived in a university-owned, off-campus apartment, there were 2 attempts to break in. Fortunately, neither I nor my roommate were home at the time; we always felt violated though.

[naraht]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

New Details Emerge about the case

I'd still like to get a little more information. If this was a *single* strike, which apparently the police believe, I'd like to get more information on the neck injury. While it is certainly possible to die by bleeding out through a (almost) severed hand, a significant cut at the neck would cause the trespasser to bleed out *much* faster. I'm impressed with the sharpness of a sword that would be able to sever a hand and cause a significant neck wound.

However, there are a couple of things here that make charges less likely, first that it was in a direct confrontation with the trespasser, rather than trying to stop him from stealing. Secondly, it was a single strike rather than multiple ones.

[Kevin]

Given that, I think he walks.

[naraht]

Probably, though I think all that the police have is his story. My guess is that the coroner checks to see whether all wounds could be caused by one strike.

[Psi U MC Vito]

Originally Posted by naraht

I'd still like to get a little more information. If this was a *single* strike, which apparently the police believe, I'd like to get more information on the neck injury. While it is certainly possible to die by bleeding out through a (almost) severed hand, a significant cut at the neck would cause the trespasser to bleed out *much* faster. I'm impressed with the sharpness of a sword that would be able to sever a hand and cause a significant neck wound.

However, there are a couple of things here that make charges less likely, first that it was in a direct confrontation with the trespasser, rather than trying to stop him from stealing. Secondly, it was a single strike rather than multiple ones.

If this was a live katana, I'm surprised that the hand didn't come completely off. I have seen footage of a katana slicing straight through two pig carcasses and getting stuck half way through the third.