Shame it had to go down that way, but it's the only way home invaders learn.

Feed him to the gators....

My heart goes out to Ms. Brown and her fiance. Even with a good outcome, this has to be a traumatic thing to go through. I'm just glad they're safe, and they've made the world a little safer, too.

-jcr

Two things (neither of which has anything to do with guns, pro or con):

I'm always amused at the number of people who get popped who are "turning their lives around" or "getting their lives together." Because breaking into houses at 3 a.m. isn't quite an ingredient in the Getting-Your-Life-Together recipe.

Also: that is the butt-ugliest, Scarface-ist, most nouveau riche residence in Christendom. There's a lot more to this story, I think.

Bad as it sounds if he gotten up he sued might even have won in our f'd up court system. The gun is a great equalizer. Scary too shot with her fiance so close to the action but you do what you have to.

I'm with Kevin. There's more to this story than meets the eye. They have surveillance cameras installed and she didn't check who was out there before opening the door?

The gun control advocates would literally rather that she watch her fiance be murdered, then been raped, then murdered, and have the guy get away. It makes them feel better.

I once had a debate with a gun control advocate who even told me directly that he thinks that people do not have a right to self defense. I asked him directly, do you think a woman walking alone at night has a right to defend her own life from an attacker. He said 'no she does not, what gives her that right, if society decides she should not'. He then tried to claim that the police will always magically be there, but even after I got him to admit the fallacy of that position, he wouldn't reverse his position.

One more reason never to break into that house: the infamy of being shot to death with a pink gun.

What, sara, you don't think a pair of "arborists" lives in a vulgar 2,732-square-foot home in Florida with heavy security cameras both inside and outside the place -- and thinks nothing of answering the door at 3 am without checking who it might be?

Next you'll be telling me that the parties the neighbors complained about weren't for the seabird foundation, as he claims!

This reporter is marvelously poker-faced about the whole situation here. I'm sure if there is any arbor-ing going on around that faux-marble pile, it involves grow-lights.

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Good for her! When I got my gun forhome defense I made sure to consult on bullets serious enough to end an intruder but not damage my walls by going all the way through.

I am not for gun control...still, this story sounds a little too perfect.

Won't be surprised to find out in some future version Ms. Beauty Queen and lover knew the "intruder" and shot him, for some reason, such as a spoiled drug deal etc. That would explain the shots from behind. I wonder if they will check loverboy's hands for the characteristic powder "burns."

Yo know what - I really do not care that if the boyfriend or girlfriend have a past or this might be suspicious or related to drugs.

It was a righteous kill.

The intruder was on private property.

He did not have permission to be on the property. He actually forced his way into the house.

He assaulted the residents of the property. I would more so say he is trying to kill the residents.

A good lawyer will be able to explain that! Now if something above is not true then the righteousness of the kill may come into question.

Her boyfriend will never win another argument.

"It's a shame everything went down the way it did," Hope said. "Al's future was bright and everything was looking up for him and me and our life together."

Uh-huh....classic quote. Nothing is bad enough for somebody to say 'He/she was a skunk!' anymore. The sister of that woman who put her 3-year-old boy in the oven said that her sister 'is a good mother' and that we shouldn't be judging her. *sigh*

Let me clarify...I'm pro gun. I'm ok with protecting their loved ones and their homes with whatever means necessary. However, I still think there is a lot more to this story than what's being reported.

But I'm sure the dead guy was really just a good guy trying to turn his life around. Much like this young "man."

http://www.cfnews13.com/article/news/2011/february/212102/Facebook-photos-show-another-side-of-Nick-Lindsey?cid=rss

My gun isn't pink, but I think I might be asking for one for my birthday this year. You can never have too many! (Guns, that is. I like my rifle, but my little Sturm Ruger .357 is black. I could like a pink one!)

I think it went down the way they say it did. There really isn't any reason for them to lie about it, and even if there is, they DO have a right to protect themselves. If someone broke into my house, I'd do the same damn thing.

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I don't really care if the victims may or may not have been pillars of society as being implied by people, it doesn't mean they deserve to be attacked in thier own home. They admit that a 3am knock isn't uncommon as they often have thier friend crash so they didn't think anything of opening up the door. Sure, it would have been wise to look into the security camera first but that's getting a little too close a "blame the victim" mentality for me.
Whether or not we agree with thier lifestyle shouldn't even be a factor. Even if there is "more to the story" regarding the victims, they were still attacked. They legally defended thier home. The criminal is dead. End of story. Until there is evidence that this was more than that, I say Good on her.

Whether they're drug dealers or not is irrelevant here. They have the right and indeed duty to protect their own lives. Especially in their own home. Good for her. I was telling DH over christmas I'd like a pink gun. His .45 is just too much gun for me. I'm thinking a .32

A pump action with scatter shot is on our list, for home defense. Once I can solve the almost impossible dilemma of keeping the kids safe from it yet keeping it useful if it's needed.

We're still on the big dog search, too. I think we may be closing in.

Big dog, Momof4? I was looking at Tibetan Mastiffs a while ago. They're BIG, but seriously protective, and great guard dogs. I've heard they're also excellent with children, but can be destructive when they're young. But they are gorgeous animals.

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=tibetan+mastiff&FORM=IGRE1

momof4 find a local pig farmer and take your kids of see him shhot one of them.

Barring that take them out to the desert and shoot a can full of red paint

Explaint that guns are not toys and treating them as such will lead to one of them turning one of their siblings into the dead pig/exploded can of paint.

Now maybe its just me, but every time I read one of those 'kids were playing witha guna nd killed a sibling/freind' story, its always from the suburb or city, never seen one from a rural area where guns are more common then people

Amy - Sara's being sarcastic. Your filter's on the fritz again.

@MO4 - I'm telling you: Doberman. They are great with kids, and nobody in their right mind (or wrong one) is willing to fuck with them.

There's been another home invasion here in CT, so I'll be getting both a firearm and a Doberman in the near future. I just have to figure out how to keep the cat from using the gun.

I am with you lujlp... funny how I grew up around guns and yet, here I am alive and well.

My Grandpa had a hunting rifle and he didn't lock his up to keep us from playing with it. We knew they weren't toys. We were always told exactly what it was and what it's purpose was and its damage was demonstrated to us every November during Deer hunting season. I wasn't taught to shoot it until I was old enough to also load it by myself, clean it by myself, and was able to withstand the kick back.

I plan to teach my future children about guns and the proper way to use them. I am not going to be buying any of them guns, but I am not going to keep them ignorant of guns either.

"Now maybe its just me, but every time I read one of those 'kids were playing with a gun and killed a sibling/freind' story, its always from the suburb or city, never seen one from a rural area where guns are more common then people"

That can be explained by population density, and the types of guns in question. Not a whole lot of loaded handguns in the toolies (not much need for them.) It's much more difficult for rural kids to drag out dad's heavy .30-06, load it and play with it.

Also: that is the butt-ugliest, Scarface-ist, most nouveau riche residence in Christendom. There's a lot more to this story, I think.

That they live in a wealthy neighborhood? Here's the Wikipedia entry on Tierra Verde. The pull quote: The median income for a household in the CDP was $86,617, and the median income for a family was $96,155.

I'd put that entire neighborhood in the candidate for home invasions category.

One problem Meghan is going to face, and it's a BIG one, is that even a justifiable shooting will end your life as you know it. First thing that happens is that you will lose your gun. It's evidence. If you live in a scummy Liberal town like Austin, TX, you will never get it back. (Hint; if you have $1000 to spend on a gun, don't buy a $1000 gun -- buy three $300 guns.)

If the shooting is in some yuppie-town like any of the northern suburbs of Houston or DFW, then you will be charged with murder, even if it is blindingly obvious to the most casual observer that you acted in self defense, simply because about half of the population (even in TEXAS!) doesn't think you really have the right to own a gun. The grand jury will get to hear from all kinds of people that will magically appear out of the woodwork to says things like, "he was really just a good guy trying to turn his life around." If the grand jury is doing its job properly, you will get no-billed, and it will only cost you a few tens of thousands of dollars and a week or two of missed work. Except that you will probably lose your job, too, unless your boss is unusually enlightened.

Then the lamestream media will make your life a living Hell for years, dogging you everywhere you go, and trying to trip you up and make you say something stupid that will get you dragged back into the legal morass for another session, only more costly than the first. You will have to spend the rest of your life being VERY careful of what you say, and to whom.

The right to be armed and protect yourself is under tremendous pressure from libtards, and is a right that we are very close to losing. That, and not personal defense (to which everyone has a right, at least in Texas, and at least for now), is the main reason I teach the Texas Concealed Handgun License course. Rights which are not exercised by a large-enough percentage of the population are eventually lost. And when this one is lost, this country will be a much less pleasant place to live.

oh momof4, what kinds are you considering? I will make another suggestion for a guard dog: an anatolian shepherd. You do have to be rather dominant though, with them, so do a lot of research on them before you decide. They do shed a lot though, so if you don't want to deal with a lot of hair, I'd stay away from them.

Amy - I was being sarcastic. Also, I was being sarcastic about the young "man" turning his life around in the story I linked.

Again, I'm all for people protecting their families and their homes. I don't have an issued with her shooting the guy in his tracks. As far as I'm concerned, she had every reason to and the intruder got what he deserved. I would do exactly the same thing if I were in her shoes.

TX CHL Instructor wrote: The grand jury will get to hear from all kinds of people that will magically appear out of the woodwork to says things like, "he was really just a good guy trying to turn his life around."

I can't believe any jury in this country, especially Texas, would convict someone for shooting the perp if the only argument the prosecution had was that bullshit. "Good guys turning their lives around" don't barge into peoples homes and assault them. Just....no...

Otherwise, I fear you are right. Unfortunately, this couple has only just experianced the beginning of this nightmare and not everyone will be taking thier side.

Flynne, that dog is gorgeous. No way I could care for that coat, though :(

I'm honestly open on breed, so long as it's large. My kids would quite accidentally hurt a smaller dog. Also, I want intimidation as my DH is gone a lot. Has to be kid friendly. Dobies are very scarce around here, Brian, I've looked. I ADORE irish wolfhounds but don't think I could afford to feed one. I also want a yearling or so, not a little puppy.

TX CHL Instructor-I'd love to get DH to take a class. I took it at 21. Suggestions of locations in/near Austin? Yours?

My oldest are only 6, so while we do talk about gun safety and will be sending them to a preteen gun class, and they shoot BB guns and see the holes and we talk about what it would do to a person, I'm just not willing to trust one of their lives to them acting rationally, at that age. Not at all.

A search of the county criminal records shows the arborist has at least 10 arrests in Pinella County alone.

Here's a great story from 2003 about the poor arborist misplacing a $35,000 engagement ring and getting the runaround from his insurance company, because he'd misplaced his $18,000 Rolex the year before:

http://www.sptimes.com/2003/02/05/SouthPinellas/Wedding_skips_a_beat_.shtml

"He sold his custom Harley, his boat and his yellow Dodge Viper to buy an expensive diamond, flown in from Israel, to make a jewel that would double as engagement and wedding ring. Retail value: $31,000. The money also helped to buy a nice home in Tierra Verde... he's an arborist who has had his own company for 17 years, Planthaber Trees in Tampa. He cuts trees in the Culbreath Isles and Palma Ceia areas in Tampa, which he says provides a six-figure income."

I grew up in a house with a rifle under my parents' bed and managed not to shoot myself, but come on. As nice as it would be for this to be a feel-good, pistol-packin' law-abidin' homeowner defending the old-homestead kind of story, it's obviously something quite different.

I still can't get over the initial detail that the lady of a heavily fortified house answered the door at 3 a.m. without checking to see who it was, just because the doorknocker rapped out a cheery "shave and a haircut six bits."

momof4 - Irish wolfhounds only have an average lifespan of 4 to 5 years. But they are hte sweetest creatures.

Great work, Kevin. I was one the same path, but you beat me to it. This is fun detective work. Planthabar also was involved in a limo business with a Salvatore Couno. He ran a tree-cutting service, and ended up with a Tampa Bay mansion. At a wimpy-looking age 43, he has an absolute knockout 25-year-old girlfriend.

Yeah, let's see: Ms. Tierra Verde (the knock-out) says she heard a knock on the door at 3 am, and let the party in without ascertaining identity, or waking up boyfriend. The knock woke her up. Sure, I do that all the time, answer the door at 3 am. Especially if I am so security-conscious to have a heavily fortified house.

Okay, now the "invaded" couple says their house was first "cased" by a delivery man, and then invaded.

Meaning the "invader" was organized enough to have surveillance, but then decided to "invade" by knocking on the front door at 3 am. Unarmed. Oh sure, I always invade homes at 3 am, unarmed, by knocking on the front door. I guess that works down in Florida.

I see the "comments" section on the St. Pete Times story has been disabled. Probably too much ridicule against the rookie reporter who filed this embarrassment. He didn't think to google Planthabar, I guess.

Okay, a rookie reporter fell for this gag--but why did Amy Alkon?

A case of wanting to believe?

@momof4:
PAWS of Austin has great danes for rescue. They get puppies sometimes. A few weeks ago we saw some 8-wk-old mastiff/lab mixes at Austin Pets Alive. They were adopted out pretty quickly, though. We've had two great danes and considered a wolfhound a while back.
All giant dogs have short life spans and are going to have substantial vet bills. Wolfhounds, English Mastiffs, Great Danes, Newfis... you'll probably need a dog cardiologist at some point, even if you go through a REALLY good breeder. The cheapest we found a wolfhound (non-show) was $1,200. Assuming he'd eat the same as the Dane, figure almost two of those big Costco bags of dogfood per month.
When we get another dog, it'll be a giant, or a mix. We really prefer the couch-potato breeds: Intimidating because of size, but easy to handle.

Hmmmmmmmm. Turns out Planthaber has been arrested, among other arrests, twice for domestic violence and once for burglary.

This is getting interesting. Kind of a wimpy looking guy.

@momof4 - I vote for Belgian Malinois. They are brilliant, vocal, have a great sense of humor, and are high energy - so it's common to find them up for adoption through rescues between the ages of 6 months to 5 years of age.

They have a life expectancy of 12-14 years. Males are supposed to hit 75 pounds, but my parents' dog was a bony 75 when I took him home from the shelter, hit 130, and settled down at 100 lbs.

The breed is commonly used by security forces - there are plenty of videos on YouTube.

He had a fierce bark and a huge mouth full of long teeth, but never bit anyone. When I came home to visit my folks, he would stand up and hug me.

"... he's an arborist who has had his own company for 17 years, Planthaber Trees in Tampa."

If you really want to see a sign of mental illness, consider that this guy makes a good living in FLORIDA, SELLING TREES -- which the developers knocked down to build the houses and WalMarts people "love".

I can show you a fine example in my old home grounds: a half acre, cleared, on a tropical barrier island, lot filled for elevation above the road... and a Honda Insight in the driveway.

You can't buy the flora such people kill.

I know, off-topic. Grr.

BOTU, the arborist is now talking to FoxNews.com:

Panthaber, a 42-year-old arborist, said he believes he and his fiancee were targeted because of their wealth. He claimed a pizza delivery man and possible accomplice staked out the home for three months before Hill attempted to burglarize it.
“We live in a very prominent area and my fiancee wears a $60,000 engagement ring,” he said. “The pizza man knew we had money because sometimes we needed change for a $100 bill when he came to deliver pizza.”

Well, he's traded up on ring values, but he's still enough of a regular Joe Arborist that he's ordering delivery pizza on a regular basis and consistently paying for it with $100 bills. Thank God he outwitted that evil pizza man who'd been casing the joint for three months!

"... he's an arborist who has had his own company for 17 years, Planthaber Trees in Tampa."

A simple Google search for "Planthaber Trees" returns exactly four hits, all of which are related to this story. And the Florida Secretary of State's corporation database lists a few company names to Robert Planthaber, all of which are inactive and none of which have to do with trees.

Imagine acquiring all that wealth with no website, no phone number, and no record in the Secretary of State's office! Goodness, that ring would probably be $600 THOUSAND if he bothered to list himself in the Yellow Pages!

Maybe he's just modest. I have some friends in New Jersey, Tony and Carmela, and they have a thriving waste management business, but you'd never hear them talk about it either.

Kevin-
I think he was planning to list the ring as worth $600k for insurance purposes.

"I can't believe any jury in this country ... would convict someone for shooting the perp if the only argument the prosecution had was that bullshit"

I wouldn't have believed it either, until seeing that many of the comments even on this forum (which is supposed to be an above average intelligence forum, mind you) are along the lines of 'they're lying, there is more to this story' and 'wouldn't be surprised if they shot him on purpose and this was a gun deal gone bad'. Why, because they look trashy? Whatever happened to 'innocent until proven guilty'?

And the people making these knee-jerk comments with no evidence are the same sort of people who end up on juries. Scary thought.

"And the Florida Secretary of State's corporation database lists a few company names to Robert Planthaber, all of which are inactive and none of which have to do with trees"

Yes, but if you looked carefully you would have seen that he is monikered Planthaber JUNIOR - which is often an indication that there may have been, you know, a wealthy Planthaber SENIOR - and he may just have inherited the money or had it gifted to him. Sure they could be up to no good, but if you uncover any actual evidence let me know. Even if they are producing or dealing drugs, it still doesn't mean that this wasn't self-defense.

That is a scary experience for anyone. Wonder how they are doing now, nearly a year after the incident?