Prosecutor Refuses to Press Charges Against Man Who Shot and Killed Pregnant Woman

[AndaliteBandit]

Katherine Hoover, five months pregnant with a boy she already knew as Rehlin, was eating McDonald’s at the DeHayes family kitchen table in Brooksville, Florida, as 35-year-old William DeHayes—an old friend of her new husband, Carson—showed off his collection of guns. First, he unstrapped the 9mm from his leg, then got out an old shotgun from the bedroom.

Moving on, DeHayes used a Western-style draw (“kinda like a cowboy would,” he later explained to police) to unholster an antique revolver that had belonged to his grandfather. DeHayes had been practicing gun slinging tricks he learned on YouTube—a hobby he picked up to give himself purpose after getting on permanent disability for back pain. “Something I can be proud of,” DeHayes said to investigators.

Carson gave the revolver a look and handed it back. DeHayes spun the gun again, put his finger on the trigger, and eased the hammer to put it back in the holster.

That’s when the gun fired. The single bullet—which DeHayes swears he never loaded—entered Katherine’s temple. The 25-year-old was rushed to the hospital, where she died soon after. Doctors delivered Rehlin via Caesarean section, but he died 30 minutes after his mother.

“There is no evidence to suggest the [sic] DeHayes had a careless or reckless indifference to the safety of the victims when the firearm discharged,” assistant state attorney Brad Magrino wrote in his recommendation not to prosecute.

Yeah, it's not like he was treating a loaded gun like a toy. Oh, wait.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/article...-to-death.html

[Nakura Chambers]

Yeah, it's not like he was treating a loaded gun like a toy. Oh, wait.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/article...-to-death.html

Loaded or not, he should have handled the gun with care and treated it as though it were. He should be charged with manslaughter.

[Cosmic Janitor]

Yeah, it's not like he was treating a loaded gun like a toy. Oh, wait.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/article...-to-death.html

That is manslaugher no matter how you look at it. People got charged with it for less...

Edit: Since the source seems to be some blog wannabe newspaper I will put out the caveat that this is based on what is written here. Though I don't see many ways to spin this any diffrently.

[Independent voter]

Where I'm from they teach gun safety in school. Maybe other states should adopt this.

[Deleted]

What a tradgedy, a preventable tragedy. So sad.

[Cosmic Janitor]

Where I'm from they teach gun safety in school. Maybe other states should adopt this.

Or they shouldn't give guns to wannabe cowboys...it would be enough to require at least the people owning a gun to know about gun safety, though I fear he might even know and just brazenly ignored it like most morons. Also who loaded the gun if it wasn't him, seriously every fucking court dealing with traffic violations has higher standards...

[Deleted]

Do they teach comprehensive sex ed too?

The clitoris is a myth.

[Aeno]

So what? I'm sure there's more than one public defender in the state. Why does it rail on the decision of the state prosecutor? Sounds like bologna to me. I feel sorry for the woman's family though, and the suspect too. An accident turned into a tragedy.

[Deleted]

If I had an abortion at 5 months many of you would call me a hero.

Pro-choice doesn't mean that you want to have babies aborted for shit and giggles (because I feel that this is about that), why are you acting so defensive?

[AndaliteBandit]

Where I'm from they teach gun safety in school. Maybe other states should adopt this.

There's room to be more strict about who's allowed to own guns. Being convicted of something like a DUI demonstrates reckless behavior and a disregard for the safety of others. Wouldn't be surprised if someone irresponsible enough to try and operate a vehicle while drunk would be dumb enough to handle a gun while drunk too.

[Rhine101]

Send him to prison. I support gun rights, but stupid people shouldn't have them.

Guns are not toys. NEVER point a gun at someone you do not intend to kill and NEVER even touch the trigger unless you intend on firing. Not to mention you always assume a weapon is loaded and clear it each time you get it back.

AKA: Take it from safe = clear it.
Hand it to a friend = friend clears it.
Friend hands it back = you clear it.

Guy needs to go to jail.

[AndaliteBandit]

What does the "fetus" have to do with it? If I had an abortion at 5 months many of you would call me a hero.

But yea, he killed someone by being a dumbass. He should face manslaughter charges.

Actually, you wouldn't be able to get an abortion at five months in most states, and even then it would usually only be in cases where either the routine ultrasound at 20 weeks revealed a severe anomaly, or the fetus posed a threat to the mother's life.

[Crissi]

ooh, I like this line of thinking. Maybe we can ban people who get DUIs from voting. If they can't be responsible enough not to drink and drive, they probably aren't responsible enough to get informed on the issues. Let's ban them from breeding too.

Voting is not operating an instrument that can kill. As much as I hate drunk drivers, I don't think one should affect rights, but repeat offenders abslutely should perma lose their gun rights and drivers license.

[Deleted]

ooh, I like this line of thinking. Maybe we can ban people who get DUIs from voting. If they can't be responsible enough not to drink and drive, they probably aren't responsible enough to get informed on the issues. Let's ban them from breeding too.

Should people who get DUIs be banned from driving?

[THE Bigzoman]

Why would a prosecutor refuse to charge him? This should be an open shut for him.

Did he give an explantion, i'm not seeing it.

[Butler to Baby Sloths]

Should people who get DUIs be banned from driving?

Yes. Of course they should.

[Saladbar]

Part of shooter's statement to police: “I haven’t slept in three days trying to figure out how the hell [the gun] went off. I don’t know. I mean them damn guns. The shotgun goes off when it wants to. I almost blew my damn head off twice.”

Now deleted post of shooter's facebook page: “Left My Gun Alone Today. It Didn’t Kill Anyone, proving once again that the lethality of an object is entirely dependent on the intent of the operator.”

Would be funny if it wasn't sad.

[Piglord]

I know this is an anti-gun thread and I'm in agreement with stricter gun control. The person in this article should be held accountable for his actions. However, I want to throw this out there. Woman is 30 weeks pregnant. Driving down the highway to meet her husband for dinner. Car crosses into her lane of traffic. She swerves to miss a head on collision, but gets clipped and spun out. She crosses the other side of the highway where she rolls and hits a tree. She survives, but loses the baby. The other driver was a 17 year old high school girl on her way to band practice, so not a monster. She was replying to a text. Of course, nothing was done to her. Should she have been held to the same accountability as posters in this thread want for the dumb ass with a gun?

[Saladbar]

I know this is an anti-gun thread and I'm in agreement with stricter gun control. The person in this article should be held accountable for his actions. However, I want to throw this out there. Woman is 30 weeks pregnant. Driving down the highway to meet her husband for dinner. Car crosses into her lane of traffic. She swerves to miss a head on collision, but gets clipped and spun out. She crosses the other side of the highway where she rolls and hits a tree. She survives, but loses the baby. The other driver was a 17 year old high school girl on her way to band practice, so not a monster. She was replying to a text. Of course, nothing was done to her. Should she have been held to the same accountability as posters in this thread want for the dumb ass with a gun?

I don't really see this as an anti gun thread so much as an anti-stupid, pro-accountability thread. In answer to your question on the girl, if her negligence caused the death of someone, she should be held accountable.

[Independent voter]

She was replying to a text. Of course, nothing was done to her. Should she have been held to the same accountability as posters in this thread want for the dumb ass with a gun?

If your an average person, you'd have to live with the memory of killing that unborn child the rest of your life that would be punishment enough for a lot of us.

Definitely the teen could be sued or her parents sued. It's just a sad situation that really can't be made better, no justice to be had.