Sheriff Donald Valenza Wednesday Press Conference

Rickey Stokes

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Posted by: RStokes
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Date: Oct 15 2020 3:47 PM

HOUSTON COUNTY:   On Wednesday Houston County Sheriff Donald Valenza held a press conference with details of the October 11th shooting in Kinsey on Nomad Circle.

A subject was reported to be breaking into a residence. Sheriff Valenza outlined how the suspect parked several houses down the street and approached the back of the residence. 

The suspect was reported to have thrown a object through a window which was a room where a female slept with a baby in the bed with her.

The suspect then forced entry into a front door. The brother of the homeowner who had heard him breaking in was in the den and armed as was the intruder. When the suspect raised his gun the homeowner's brother raised the gun and shot the suspect several times.

Headland EMS responded as did Houston County Sheriff Deputies. The person shot was transported to Southeast Health. On Tuesday the person who was shot passed away.

This case is a protect your castle case where the homeowners have the legal right to use deadly physical force when someone has broken into your residence. There are no charges at this time but as in all deaths the case will  be presented to a Houston County Grand Jury.

IN ALL DEATH INVESTIGATIONS   

Just to explain what occurs in all death investigations, not normally a natural death, but deaths other than natural deaths.

You investigate under two scenarios; (1) investigate as a suicide (2) investigate as a homicide.

As you are conducting the investigative scenes, and listing the "facts", one will normally outweigh the other. Is the firearm on the scene? What is the position of the firearm if on the scene? If no firearm on the scene and a gunshot death, pretty difficult to shoot yourself and then get rid of the weapon. Basic, but a lot of questions you start looking at. 

As in the Kinsey investigation case, you also investigate it as "was this a set up"? A lot of "facts" are listed and scenarios are played out as the investigation continues. 

Every case, you are only on the initial scene once. You protect the scene and do not let anyone in the scene.

People have been convicted over the smallest evidence recovered. EXAMPLE:   in an investigation once the scene investigator collected paper from a cigarette pack where a person tore open the cigarette pack and threw it down on the scene. A suspect was apprehended shortly after the crime. The suspect had a pack of cigarettes in his pocket and that was taken as evidence. The cigarette paper on the scene and the pack of cigarettes in the suspects pocket were sent to the crime lab. The forensic scientist matched the paper found on the scene with the cigarettes found on the suspect, which helped placed the suspect on the scene.

A lot of slow moving details are covered and a lot of scenarios are played out before coming to a conclusion. But all deaths are worked with different motives and details discussed.

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