Deadly force in the name of self-defense?
A Sutherlin man was sentenced to 19-months in prison Friday (Aug. 7) for criminally negligent homicide. Last summer, the man shot an intoxicated intruder who appeared to have stumbled into the wrong house in the middle of the night and went to sleep on the couch.
The man pleaded no contest to the charge in June but said early on that he was acting in self-defense the night he shot the intruder.
The sentencing has generated some interesting comments from people in Douglas County. At the heart of comments is one question: “Can a homeowner use deadly force to protect their home?”
The man was originally facing a second-degree manslaughter charge as well, but the charge was dropped as part of the plea agreement. Members of the district attorney’s office reportedly worried that a many people — i.e. jury members — would think the Sutherlin man had the right to shoot the intruder and, therefore, decided that the plea agreement was the best route.
Here’s the link to the story where you can read more about the case and see what News-Review readers have to say about the 19-month sentencing.
Who is Marissa?
Marissa is a journalist. A hard-news girl with an eye for color.
Welcome to MarissaHarshman.com! I’m a 24-year-old recent college grad. I was born in Fort Bragg, N.C. My family moved back to Vancouver, Wash. when I was a toddler, and I lived there for 16 years until I went away to college. In June 2007, I graduated from Western Washington University, in Bellingham, Wash. I completed my Bachelor of Arts degree with a journalism major and political science minor. In July 2007 I completed a six-week journalism program at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla. The fellowship taught me so much. I was introduced to new media techniques to deliver a story, such as audio, video and soundslides. I’ve learned to embrace the new technology that surrounds each of us, and I’m excited to apply what I’ve learned.
Since September 2007, I’ve worked at The News-Review in Roseburg, Ore. I cover health and fitness and the northern part of Douglas County, which includes six cities ranging in size from 200 to 7,500 people. I’ve also spent some of my time covering the Oregon National Guard’s Charlie Company based in Roseburg, which has been a great experience. I’m having a great time here and learning quite a bit myself and my profession.
In July 2009, I began covering the public safety and courts beat in addition to health and fitness. The new beat has proved to be challenging but always keeps me busy on and my toes.
I plan to use this site to display my writing and videos, and also to start a dialogue about the issues I face daily while trying to write and report. Keep checking in for updates!
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