Homeowner pleads not guilty to murdering car prowler
VANCOUVER, Wash. -- A Vancouver homeowner pleaded not guilty Tuesday morning to murdering a car prowler last month.
Sean H. Doucette, 27, was arraigned in Clark County Superior Court on one count of second-degree murder, a charge that does not require evidence of premeditated intent.
Trial was set for May 13.
Doucette did not speak during his arraignment, except to say "not guilty." Family members of the 19-year-old victim, Iosif Dumitrash, were present, but did not wish to make a statement to the media.
Dumitrash was shot and killed the early morning of Jan. 29 outside Doucette’s home in the area of 150th Avenue and Northeast 33rd Street in Vancouver.
Doucette’s attorney has said the situation started after his client confronted the man about breaking into a car parked across the street from Doucette's house.
A fight ensued when Doucette, who works as a security guard, took out his gun and shot Dumitrash four times, the attorney said.
Doucette’s wife reportedly called 911 about the shooting, officials said.
According to court records, Doucette posted bond on Jan. 31 and was released from the Clark County Jail pending trial.
This guy should get an award for community service! He took another puke off the street.
He should have just called the cops. He had no idea,if the car thief was armed.
Another prisoner in the war for a polite society. His prison sentence will be his martyrdom but law-abiding citizens in Washington know that their homes and property are safer because maybe the next car prowler will think twice before jacking people's stuff.
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In LA, the liberal cop-haters are calling Christopher Dorner a hero. Well, here it is back at 'em.
A worthless criminal is dead, and a gun toting rent-a-cop goes to prison.......society wins twice. It's a good day.
 @Jenni Jenz People hire rent-a-cops because liberal drug addicts try to jack their stuff.
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The rent-a-cop closest to me broke up a rape in progress across from Chapman Park and received no recognition or acknowledgement for it whatsoever from the community or the family of the woman ho defended.
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Too bad it wasn't you. Maybe someday, I guess...Â
Was it justified?
Was it necessary?
Was deadly force reasonable?
Was death or serious bodily injury imminent?
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"The right to defend our lives and the lives of our loved ones is one of the "inalienable" rights our Founding Father deemed most precious. Some states have protected that right while others have neglected it. Knowing where states draw the line between your rights and the rights of those who seek to harm you, your family or your property could be the most important knowledge of your lifetime. Stepping over the line could mean personal and financial disaster. Finally, a clear, concise book that provides quick and easy access to the statutes, cases and jury instructions that define the law of self-defense in each of the fifty states and Washington D.C. There is no longer any reason to rely on rumors or speculation"
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http://www.amazon.com/Defense-Plain-Talk-Summaries-Limited-Edition/dp/0984505806
Chubby hero boy wanna be is what he is.  Giving us legal gun advocates a bad name.  He wanted to be the tough guy, the the doughy boy, and got into a situation he can't get out of.  Learn your weapon and when and how to use it, don't mess it up for me ya narcissistic jerk.
 @Benjamin Schniffle Umm...he was a legal gun advocate, too, Einstein.
@correctUmm... he was an illegal gun user, not so smart guy. Â Do you even know gun laws? Â You don't get to confront someone and shoot them. Â Not in this state. Â Well, I don't expect you to because you're not a gun carrying citizen like me. Â Jerk.
NOT guilty. Guilty of Manslaughter, yes. I have personally apprehended a person breaking into a car in my neighborhood, with a gun in the small of my back. He did not present a threat great enough for me to be concerned for my life, so the gun never came out of it's holster. Even after the police came to take custody of the gentleman. I did, however, chase him into the street where his face hit the asphalt as I accidentally broke my own fall with the back of his head. My opinion is that this security guard was in such a hurry to prove himself to his community via the gun he held, that he sought this as his opportunity. Breaking into a car and someone holding a gun to a cashiers face in a liquor store presents two totally different types of criminals. Had the offender in this case been able to "manhandle" Mr. Doucette, such is life. The police won't always be the quickest way to end a crime in progress, but I would rather take a broken nose over facing these charges. Responsible concealed carry permit holders should know better than to pull the gun any chance you get. You REALLY need to be in fear of your life before pulling that gun out. The way I see it, if someone acts in a way that makes me feel like pulling out my gun, I better be ready to pay fines and fees in the 100's of thousands!
Hopefully the real proven story will come out. Did the security guard over react? Possibly. Was the victim a threat? Possibly. Until such time as the courts come out with the real down to earth story..it could go either way. But if it is the word of the shooter against that of the victim, then the shooter will win.
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I am not against people carrying weapons...as long as they use good judgement and do not just shoot first.
If the shooter is found guilty of murder, then hopefully he will serve a long sentence.
 @Just Lookin I like everything until the last sentence.
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The shooter is another reminder to would-be criminals that society has had enough. Unfortunately, we need more of these. He's a prisoner, but he'll get out. A deputy and some cops in California weren't as lucky.
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In Texas and Mississippi, believe me, rural homes are the like the gang houses in LA or New Orleans or Chicago. You know with --utter certainty-- to leave them alone.
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I believe in a polite society. If you don't screw around with my stuff, I won't screw around with yours. If either of us crosses that line, well, we should have known better.
 @Playanekes  @Just Lookin I like polite too.  My definition includes not shooting someone in the back who is running away from me (if that's what turns out to be the truth here) even if he's a scum bag.
Similar story but in this case it was obvious they'd broken into the guy's house. Â Setting off a car alarm is a bit different but apparently to many (USCitizen), the *slight possibility* someone is too close to a neighbor's car warrants the death penalty? Â Weird way of thinking. Â Â http://www.katu.com/news/national/Homeowner-who-shot-suspected-burglar-takes-plea-deal--190948201.html
 @Sundowner Thanks for sharing.
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Stupid idiot + late at night + prowling cars - war veteran, cop wannabe X gun = 10 years and dead prowler. Oh well, math still works out well.
Too bad he had to die for prowling cars, but he took his chance and lost. Crime can be hazardous to your health.
Not Guilty..........but in any case at least the car prowler is dead. I'm happy about that.
 @USCitizen Just curious -- if Doucette pleads guilty to manslaughter (plea deal), will you still be "happy"(???) that this young man is dead?  There's been nothing reported that he did anything more than be outside when the shooter's neighbor's car alarm went off.  Mine goes off every time it gets snowed on or the dog bumps into it walking by.  On top of that, why would you be happy about a dang car prowler being dead?  Somethin' wrong with that kind of thinking, IMO. Â
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 @TheUglyTruth  @Sundowner  @USCitizen aw, come on now...This forum would be considerably less entertaining if that happened!
 @TheUglyTruth  @Sundowner  @USCitizenÂ
@Sundowner Thank you. I like to think the police have some idea of what they are doing. If this was so case closed and justified, this man would never have been arrested. The fact that it didn't even take them a day to arrest the guy shows there is some pretty damning evidence.
 @CRB That isn't being knit-picky to me and apparently it wasn't to the police involved in the investigation nor the District Attorney.  Obviously they know far more than they're telling, but there's a reason this man was charged with Murder II and not let go by claiming self-defense.
@TheUglyTruth @Sundowner @USCitizen I know it's knit picky but he wasn't on this man's property. He was accross the street, possibly (still to be determined) on a neighbor's property. But he was never on his property.
I am about the only one cheering for you buddy, the court will decide your fate but my stance is if the police won't protect us, who will. I hope you are found innocent and that the courts set precedence that what you did was preserve your right to maintain your property from a criminal. This is Oregon not Texas, so although I am cheering for you I also think you are up the creek without a paddle.
@dkgiovenco It wasn't his property, it was his neighbors. So now you're saying you hope each of our neighbors can be judge, jury and executioner? I hope you never end up in the wrong place at the wrong time for any reason.
I don't know what happened here, but that's why I'm glad we have a court system to shift through the actual evidence and truth. This kid could have been doing something, he could have been lost, who knows for sure except him and God at this point. I'm not comfortable with the idea that every 'civilian' has the right to pick up a gun, go investigate their neighborhood, make a judgment and execution based on their individual interpretation of the situation. That's why we have TRAINED police who continually are taught and refreshed how to handle these situations. I'm definitely not comfortable with some of my neighbors making that judgment call for themselves because they have a weapon.
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 @Dr. Rawdog  @TheUglyTruth Thanks for the link.  It's scary stuff to me, thinking a totally innocent person can end up wasting their life away because of either a mistake in a trial or outright lying by witnesses/law enforcement.  And while perhaps you and I can't understand someone making a false confession, it obviously happens more than we realize.  Thanks again.
 @TheUglyTruth I don't necessarily disagree, but look at the cases where a person IS found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and then 20 years later they're exonerated.  There are also plenty of cases where the accused has a crappy public defender who does little if anything to effectively represent the accused and they are found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Â
@TheUglyTruth @dkgiovenco
Absolutely true point, but the people who have actually been trained, tested and held accountable continually have a MUCH better chance of correctly handling the situation then some scared citizen with a gun hopped up on adrenaline and their idea of their 'rights'.
Just saying, I don't trust my neighbors to handle these situations better than observing and calling the police. Sorry, it's just my car, not worth the cost of a life of anyone, be it my neighbor's or the criminals.
 @TheUglyTruth  @CRB  @dkgiovenco Those 'technicalities' you refer to are generally violations of a defendant's civil rights (US Constitution), whether we like/agree with that or not. Â
 @dkgiovenco He's in Washington. But, yeah.
I'd bet my best friend's money this guy pleads down to manslaughter, in which case he deserves jail time based on mandatory sentencing guidelines. Â I'll go out on a limb and bet some of my own money that this incident opens the eyes of a few who are just a little too eager to bring a gun to a fist fight.
 @Sundowner It needs to open people's eyes up. As a trained, licensed carrier I agree with you here. It's vitally important to know the laws--you don't have time to go look them up, like we do when we're sitting at our desks--and remember that all a gun is for is to protect innocent LIFE, not property.
"As a trained, licensed carrier"....
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Ok, darn, that huge backdrop american flag snagged before it could come down and I had "America the Beautiful" all cued up but dang, "king of the road " came up !
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Just when I thought you were "all over yer self" you go and....
Does anyone every plead guilty to anything without a plea deal arranged first? Not sure this is news yet...
I agree need to wait for details. It does appear there was a car prowler who was most likely going to steal in the middle of the night and who when confronted didn't back down. We all know the end result. Our neighborhood has had multiple cars broken into. Over the years it has gotten worse. Many are sick and tired of it. We need rights to protect our property and if attacked use deadly force.
4-times???? Since when is 4 shots justified?
 @pdxd OneTwoThreeFour.
It happened that fast.
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If somebody's coming at you, you're justified emptying the magazine as long as you don't hurt anybody downrange. And then, EVEN IF THE SHOOTING IS JUSTIFIED you can be held responsible for civil damages by anybody who is hurt.
 @pdxd Police use more then 4 shots all the time so maybe ask them why?
 @FreedomRocks Typically that's when there is a shoot out, or the suspect poses an imminent threat to the public.Â
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 @TheUglyTruth If your intent is to kill, that's MURDER, defending yourself does not mean that the result be the death of another person.
Why can't we get details..? all it serves as some anti gun poor criminal got killed because he was being well..a criminal..
 @lee986321 Was he a criminal? Was he anti-gun? How do you know these things?
 @lee986321 Promises, promises.....
 @lee986321 I guess your word doesn't mean anything after all. Just looking for attention last night, eh? Sorry no one came to your pity party.
@badcat @lee986321 I think he may be addicted and his other half (if there is one) is trying to get him to stop. Next you know there will be an intervention at the Lee household. Just a guess on my part.
 @JTesla  @badcat  And now we know it was just the Red Bull....yeah, no other issues.
 @lee986321 Wait a minute....I thought you said earlier that you were done with KATU forums???? Â
Like some that get slapped around by their spouse, they come back for more for some reason ??
That fits too ! But think it's more of the "spousal needeness" thingy rather than "enjoying pain" thingy, but maybe ....
 @sargerator ~ Masochist, perhaps..?  :-)
Ah good 'ol taliban lee !
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Off with the hand, off with the head, off with the leg at the knee said lee !