|
Andersen, 62, made his initial appearance in Boone County
Superior Court on Friday morning dressed in an orange jail
jumpsuit and a bulletproof vest. In addition to setting bail,
Judge Matthew Kincaid ordered Andersen to surrender his passport
and scheduled a jury trial to begin March 30, according to
online court records.
Voicemail and email messages were left Friday for Andersen's
attorney, gun rights advocate Guy Relford. Boone County
Prosecutor Kent Eastwood declined to comment on the case.
Alexander Limontes, an attorney representing Rios' family, said
in a statement that prosecutors sought a $50,000 bond and
Kincaid should have honored that request and set home detention
as a condition of release.
“Maria was a hardworking mother & wife who showed up for her
family, friends and community every single day,” Limontes said
in the statement. “She was simply doing her job. For her family,
today's bond hearing is another painful reminder of the loss
they suffered and the long road to justice that lies ahead.”
Rios’ brother described her on a fundraising page as the mother
of four children.
According to court documents, Rios and her husband were part of
a house cleaning crew and went to Andersen's house by mistake.
As they tried to unlock Andersen's door with a key their company
had given them, Andersen fired a shot through the door without
warning. The bullet hit Rios in the head. Her husband was not
hurt.
Andersen told investigators he heard someone trying to unlock
his front door and thought someone was trying to break into his
home. The case promises to test the limits of Indiana's
stand-your-ground law, which allows homeowners to use deadly
force to stop someone they reasonably believe is entering their
dwelling unlawfully.
Police have said there's no evidence Rios entered the home
before she was shot. Relford, the defense attorney, has
maintained that Andersen had every reason to believe his actions
were justified under the law but has not elaborated publicly.
Rios' family planned to return her body to Guatemala on
Saturday. A funeral has been set for Sunday in Cabrican, a town
in the southwestern region of the country.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights
reserved |
|
