If you have a home robber at your mercy, should it be a crime to execute him?

[Zmaniac17]

Perhaps I did, it's very late. I am a bit hostile about this subject.. but 99.99% of the people in this thread don't have a family to protect nor have ever had an intruder break in. Things don't go according to any plan. You would die for your children in a heartbeat. And you would kill for your children. Things happen when someone breaks into your sanctum, your home.

I am armed and ready specifically for the type of home invasion depicted in this video.

[Eazy]

If you kill someone after they surrender you just committed murder. Killing them before any surrender, we call that self defense.

Not really. Someone kills kids in the school then suddenly says "I surrender!".

[Spiral Mage]

If a threat has been entirely neutralized, then at any time beyond that, if you kill them -- you are a murderer.
That said, if armed intruders broke into the house, I would shoot first and ask questions if any of them are still alive after.
I wouldn't run the risk of trying to subdue them if they were armed.
Too much chance for that to go wrong, where is dead, means definitely neutralized.

[Radaney]

Naturally execution is a crime.

[Jastall]

Oh, I'm so edgy. Wait until you have a family to protect and someone breaks into your home and you're awoken and you have a 3 year old sleeping in the next room. You can throw around the latest and cutest internet terms, but everything I'm saying is spot-on. Period.

See, I'm making a difference between the people who are ready to use violence to protect their homes (which is fine), and the internet tough guys like yourself who act like they're just waiting for an intrusion to happen so they feel justified in killing someone.

[Tijuana]

Oh, I'm so edgy. Wait until you have a family to protect and someone breaks into your home and you're awoken and you have a 3 year old sleeping in the next room. You can throw around the latest and cutest internet terms, but everything I'm saying is spot-on. Period.

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OK, well, the OP is a bit out of his mind too. I didn't catch that part. Tying someone up and shooting them is taking it too far. But shooting someone who has broken into your home while they're rummaging around or attempting to break in or any sort of scenario like that is what I was referring to.

Yeah that isn't the topic though, obviously.

[Feeline10]

See, I'm making a difference between the people who are ready to use violence to protect their homes (which is fine), and the internet tough guys like yourself who act like they're just waiting for an intrusion to happen so they feel justified in killing someone.

I am coming off hostile because 75% of the first pages of this thread were ultra-liberals somehow sympathizing with the criminal who broke in. I did miss the bit in the OP where he said tie him up and execute him. That's retarded. I don't agree with that piece. I'm not an internet tough guy, nor am I trying to be edgy. And trust me, when you get a family, you're not "waiting for an intrusion" so you can "feel justified in killing someone." That's.. a moronic thought entirely, no offense.

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Yeah that isn't the topic though, obviously.

Yeah alright fine. So I missed or didn't read that last bit. Any rational person, even after a break in, isn't going to tie someone up and murder them. Unless he like raped your child or something.. then you might go that far, and fathers have gotten off in situations like that.

[Deleted]

Well, I could understand if the victim was terrified of there being consequences if these people lived. Say it was a lone thief who had mental health issues and a personal grudge, or a gang that would definitely come back to finish the job.

But, speaking from the law's perspective, I think that they would always frown upon this act because you would no longer be in a victim in the situation where they become your hostage. To execute them when they're defenseless shows bad character.

I'm personally glad I won't have to decide whether someone committed murder or simply acted in self-defense. It seems like a tough call to make.

[Deleted]

Ohh look, the resident edgy kid is back with a thread...

What on earth would make you think execution would be ok?
Is the way people tend to disagree with even execution in it's official way not enough of a give-away to prevent asking such stupid questions?

Not really. Someone kills kids in the school then suddenly says "I surrender!".

If he also disarms himself and gets on the floor that seals the deal; he's then the official's problem.
This is not a DC comic after all... where everyone and their mother is a vigilante and gets away with it.

[kail]

Your scenario feels overly vague but the concept is really simple.

If someone is definitely not a threat, it's illegal to harm/kill them. If you find some neighbor kid in your backyard trying to get his baseball and you shoot him, lawyer up hard.

[Deleted]

I have an one size fits all gimp suit for whenever the day I capture a victim in my home. That should be my right.

Seriously though, if you can't reasonably prove that you, your property or your family are/were in danger, I am not going to support your bloodthirst.

[araine]

Yes you should be charged with 1st degree murder for your crime, that you instantly dont figure this out is quite frankly something that makes me worry for the safety of people around you

[Elim Garak]

Dead people cannot be witnesses. So if you make that legal you basically legalize murder, because all you need to do to legally kill someone is invite them to your home and then shoot them in the face. Tell the police they broke in, your door was unlocked.

[Eazy]

If he also disarms himself and gets on the floor that seals the deal; he's then the official's problem.

It's kinda hard to put yourself in such a situation, what if he has hidden gun or something.

I agree with you, but in real life you are usually in a much more complex cases.

[Nalorakk]

I'd recon it takes a good dose of 'psychopath' to not understand why executing people is wrong.

^

There isn't much else to add. Yes, they trespassed on your property. Yes, that is a crime. Maybe they had violent intent.

In what world does that give you the legal and moral authority to execute them?

[Deleted]

I would end his miserable life because he traumatised my family.

They would never find him again.

[Mormolyce]

John Wick 3?

How dare you, I was going for Jack Bauer.

[Flurryfang]

Basically, someone or few people armed with any weapons invade your home at midnight, and you whip out a shotgun to get the jump on them. Assuming you haven't killed them on the spot and force them to relinquish their weapons and get on their knees, should it REALLY be considered a crime to kill them in these instances?

I've read on stories where these scenarios did happen (the execute part) and, while the person that killed his assailants don't really ever get crazy punishments, they still go to jail for a time. Like, why?

This is just insane. You can't just kill people! You have disarmed the robber, have him at your mercy, so his life is now in your hands. If you kill him, you should be put in jail for a long time. Maybe things are different in USA or North Korea, but in most of the world, you would get some of the hardest punishments possible if you killed a person after they have surrendered to you.

[Raging Penguin]

If they show no signs of surrendering then I do what I can to neutralize the threat, but If they're at my mercy I'll tie them up and let the law deal with them.
I know there are people that think they're Frank Castle but really, pulling the trigger only result in the wrong person behind bars and besides, what are you gonna do with the body? The law is definitely not letting you off the hook especially after blowing out the brains of a unarmed person and some "executioners" tend to not turn themselves in.

Now that I think of it, the OP's question feels like a "what happens when a burglar enters a serial killer's home".

[Surfd]

Simple. Defending yourself from a threat is self defense. Executing someone you have at your mercy is murder. /thread