Homeowner Charged After Killing House Cleaner Who Knocked on the Wrong Door — Stand‑Your‑Ground Law in Question

Indiana homeowner charged with voluntary manslaughter after fatal shooting

Curt Andersen, 62, has been charged with voluntary manslaughter after prosecutors say he shot and killed Maria Florinda Rios Perez De Velasquez, 32, through a closed front door after she and a coworker mistakenly arrived at his Whitestown, Indiana, home on the morning of Nov. 5.

Authorities say Andersen fired about a minute after hearing someone at the door. Investigators found Rios dead on the porch; police say there is no evidence she entered the home before being shot. Andersen was being held in the Boone County Jail and faces a potential sentence of 10 to 30 years in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted.

What prosecutors say

Boone County Prosecutor Kent Eastwood told reporters the decision to charge Andersen was straightforward: prosecutors believe stand‑your‑ground protections do not apply because Andersen did not have enough information to reasonably conclude deadly force was necessary. According to the probable cause statement, Andersen heard a "commotion at the door," looked through windows, saw two people outside and — frightened — loaded his handgun and fired one shot through the door without announcing himself.

"Stand‑your‑ground protections don’t apply because Andersen lacked enough information to know if his actions were reasonable," the prosecutor said.

Defense and witness accounts

Andersen’s attorney, Guy Relford, posted on X that he was disappointed by the charges and argued Andersen had reason to believe his actions were justified and protected by law. Andersen reportedly told investigators he did not intend to harm anyone and reacted out of fear.

Rios’s husband, Mauricio Velasquez, told police the cleaning crew had the wrong address and that Rios tried to open the door with company keys for roughly 30 seconds to a minute before she was shot. He said they did not knock, force entry, or hear anyone from inside call out, and they never entered the home.

Evidence reported by investigators

Investigators reported a bullet hole in the door but no signs of forced entry, damage to the latch or door frame. Andersen’s wife, Yoshie Andersen, told investigators her husband had told a neighbor in the past that he would shoot anyone who tried to break in; the probable cause statement does not specify when that comment was made.

Legal context and reactions

Indiana is one of 31 states with a stand‑your‑ground statute that can permit use of deadly force when a person reasonably believes an unlawful entry is occurring. Legal experts say those protections are not automatic. Indiana University law professor Jody Madeira, an expert on gun‑rights law, described the case as "horrible" and "exceptionally unusual," noting that members of the public may lawfully be on a front porch for legitimate purposes until asked to leave and that simply manipulating a lock or doorknob typically does not justify lethal force.

The case echoes other high‑profile incidents in which defendants invoked or relied on similar claims. In Missouri in 2023, Andrew Lester was charged after shooting 16‑year‑old Ralph Yarl; Lester later pleaded guilty to second‑degree assault. In New York in 2024, a man was convicted of second‑degree murder after fatally shooting a woman who mistakenly drove down his driveway; New York does not have a stand‑your‑ground statute.

What’s next

Prosecutors say they will seek to prove Andersen could not have reasonably believed deadly force was necessary based on what he knew at the time. An initial court hearing is pending. The case is likely to draw attention for the way it tests the limits of self‑defense and stand‑your‑ground law when someone is on a porch or attempting to gain entry for a legitimate purpose.

Victim: Maria Florinda Rios Perez De Velasquez, 32, mother of four. Defendant: Curt Andersen, 62. Location: Whitestown (Boone County), Indiana. Charge: voluntary manslaughter. Possible penalty: 10–30 years and up to $10,000 fine if convicted.