An Indiana homeowner has been charged with voluntary manslaughter in connection with the fatal shooting of Maria Florinda Rios Perez, a house cleaner who was mistakenly at his residence, authorities announced Monday.
Curt Andersen, 62, was arrested and held without bail following the November 5 incident in the Indianapolis suburb of Whitestown. Perez, a 32-year-old Guatemalan immigrant and mother of four, was shot in the head outside the front door of Andersen’s home after she and her husband, Mauricio Velásquez, arrived at the wrong address for a cleaning job.
Boone County Prosecutor Kent Eastwood stated that Andersen “did not have a reasonable belief that that type of force was necessary,” and emphasized that the decision to charge does not challenge Indiana’s “stand your ground” law.
“Based upon the particular evidence and circumstances of this case, we have determined that Curt Andersen’s actions do not fall within the legal protections provided by the Indiana stand your ground law,” Eastwood said.
According to the criminal complaint, Andersen and his wife were awakened by a shaking doorknob, retreated to a “safe room,” and Andersen then retrieved a handgun. Perez and Velásquez were attempting to enter what they believed was a model home they were hired to clean.
Andersen’s defense attorney, Guy Relford, called Perez’s death a “terrible tragedy” but insisted Andersen’s actions were justified under state law, arguing he had “every reason to believe his actions were absolutely necessary and fully justified at the time” to prevent an unlawful entry.
Andersen is scheduled to appear before a judge this week to request bail.
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