Never Push Your Luck II

Don't you hate it when the bad guy gets away? Me too, which is why I love stories when justice finally catches up to them. Take these two criminals who got much more than they bargained for:

Horn fatally shot the burglars, two illegal immigrants from Colombia named Diego Ortiz and Miguel de Jesus. Stephanie Storey, De Jesus' fiancée, wants to see Joe Horn prosecuted.

"This man took the law into his own hands," she said. "He shot two individuals in the back after having been told over and over to stay inside. It was his choice to go outside and his choice to take two lives." - ABC News

It was the 911 dispatcher who told him to not go outside. But Mr. Horn was not about to let these two burglars get away. So he went outside when he saw them coming out. Told them not to move and shot them dead when they did.

One of them was engaged as noted in the quote above. I wonder what she was thinking in how this guy would make a suitable husband:

“I knew it was getting hard for them,” said Ms. Storey, 39, a medical assistant from Katy, west of Houston. But she said she doubted that Mr. DeJesus, an avid salsa dancer who had courted her on and off for seven years and wore paint-splattered clothes to job hunts outside the Home Depot, had made a career of theft. But she said she knew he had another identity and false Puerto Rican papers; his real name was Hernando Riascos Torres.

“If this was something he did,” she said, “he would have money and jewelry, and he never did.” - NY Times

This illegal alien had been here for at least seven years. The Times story also mentions that he was sentenced to prison in the US at least once and was also deported.

Capt. Bud Corbett of the Pasadena Police Department said Mr. DeJesus was convicted on drug charges in 1994 and sentenced to 25 years before being ordered deported 5 years later, though Ms. Storey questioned whether he ever left. - NY Times

Clearly, it was a mistake to come back. His partner in crime also had a number of relationships, and children that he didn't seem to care to much about:

Ms. Storey said Mr. Ortiz was separated from his wife, who had their baby daughter, and had a relationship with a married woman. The Houston Chronicle last week quoted a woman who said she had been living with Mr. Ortiz and described him as “a very good guy, a sweet man.” The woman said he also had a son and daughter in Colombia. - NY Times

This guy was pretty good at hurting all those he came in contact, not just his victims. Now his three children will not have a father, not that he was much good for them while alive as he seems to have left them all behind already.

He and his co-criminal made at least four other big mistakes:

• 1. Entered the US Illegally
• 2. Presented fraudulent identity documents, claiming to be American Citizens
• 3. Were seen entering a house through a window.
• 4. Failed to escape before Mr. Horn shot them dead

Well, they will not be making any more mistakes. Nor will they steal from anyone else again. So our society wins.

There is one technicality in all this in that Mr. Horn is facing serious charges because the shooting did not take place on his own property, but on his neighbor's property. I suspect that he will eventually be acquitted, but it will surely be a painful legal process to get to that point. I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up being sued by relatives of the criminals as well. The question is, will they do anything about the illegal aliens they identify in this investigation. My guess is no.

There are a couple other issues here, such as this would not have happened if the guys coming out of the house were white, and that they were shot in the back. Personally, I think they are irrelevant. The basic fact is that for some reason these two men decided to break into another person's house. This direct act on their part prompted the chain of events that resulted in their deaths.

As a side benefit, it appears that this case has brought out a scam where illegal aliens are using fake Puerto Rico birth certificates to get Texas drivers licenses. If Texas DMV's electronic records are worth anything, they should be able to quickly identify all the records with a Puerto Rico place of birth to investigate them for fraud as well.

As a reminder, this image links to a summary of how many illegal alien criminals are well known to law enforcement as they are arrested many times. This needs to stop. As noted above, Mr. DeJesus was sentenced to 25 years in jail, but was released after only 5. Had he been made to serve his time, instead of the US trying to pawn him off back on his own country, he would still be alive, albeit in jail.

Previous:
Never Push Your Luck - 31 Oct 07
55,322 Illegal Alien Criminals = 459,614 Arrests - 21 May 06
Congress Should do Nothing About Illegal Aliens - 7 June 07
Mexico and the US Governments are the Immigration Problem - 25 May 07


Also:
Castle Doctrine - Wikipedia

Volvo Is Looking For Heros - Brian Tolkin is One

Here is some news to make you feel good:

Four years ago, Brian co-founded a nonprofit organization - Beams and Dreams - to take cancer patients, survivors, and their families on all-day boating excursions as a respite from their grueling medical challenges.

As captain of Beams and Dreams, Brian procures the extras for his guests, which include magic shows, live music, and barbecues. Brian relies solely on donations in order to procure vessels, crews, and other requirements. With the support of local and national cancer organizations, he has taken out over six hundred guests on shimmering Lake Washington and the bracing Puget Sound. On every cruise, Brian works tirelessly so that his guests on board experience a joyful voyage from start to finish.

Realizing that his family's boat alone could not match the mission of the organization, Brian and his brother mailed letters to more than one hundred boat dealers, marinas, and boat owners, outlining their idea. They concluded their pitch by noting, "It would be so amazing if we could bring smiles to these people who are going through such a rough time." It was, as the saying goes, rough sailing at first. Few replied. Those who did reply ususally said "no."

But Brian did land a number of important mariners who knew how to say "yes." The Olympic Yacht Center donated the use of a new fifty-eight-foot power boat for the group's first outing in August 2003. The general manager of Elliott Bay Marina followed up by recruiting ten boat owners to participate a week later. Brian has since hosted numerous events for over a thousand guests, all made possible by eighty-two thousand dollars of donated services.

Five years after its launch, Brian Tolkin continues to expand Beams and Dreams. He has brought on board over eleven national and local cancer organizations. He has also won over the local nautical community, which has donated exquisite yachts, an historical sailing vessel, wooden schooners, and luxurious cabin cruisers for the day-long voyages. One cancer patient, Claudia Martinez, calls Beams and Dreams an "inspiration," and not just a day on the water, adding that Brian and his brother set a great example: "I hope our boys will also do something good for the community." - Volvo for Life Awards

Nothing like a boat trip to bring out smiles!

All too often all we here is bad news. It is great to see that there are still some who look to recognize the heroes around us. There should be more of that.

This is a great country. There are many more people like Brian Tolkin who make this country the great country that it is. The bright thing is, you don't have to go that far out of your way to positively contribute to society. Simply following basic standards is a plus these days.

H/T to BitterEnd whose post on the subject is here.

Volvo for Life Awards - GO THERE AND VOTE!

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