Home invader suspects shot, killed; getaway driver arrested
Homeowner's son in Oklahoma claims self-defense against three would-be robbers armed with brass knuckles and knife, suspected getaway driver turns herself into police
The woman suspected of acting as the getaway driver for three would-be burglars shot and killed in Oklahoma spoke out Thursday, telling local media: "I feel responsible for the actions that were taking place ... but I don’t feel responsible for their murders."
Elizabeth Marie Rodriguez has been jailed without bond on murder and burglary warrants. Under Oklahoma law, a person who took part in a crime in which people were killed could be charged with murder.
"We always said if there were guns ... every man for themselves," Rodriguez, a mother of three, told Fox 23. She said that she lived with two of the three intruders, and that they decided as a group to target the house near the Tulsa suburb of Broken Arrow. "We were just greedy ... there was no reason."
Investigators also revealed that the group actually broke onto the property earlier that Monday, grabbing liquor from a game room in a detached garage. Rodriguez had "indirect knowledge" there might be expensive items to steal inside, Wagoner County sheriff's deputy Nick Mahoney said.
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Jail records don't list an attorney for Rodriguez. The intruders were identified as 17-year-old Jacob Redfearn, 19-year old Maxwell Cook, and 16-year old Jake Woodruff.
“What these three boys did was stupid," Redfearn's grandfather Leroy Schumacher told KTUL, saying the three did not deserve to die. "You can’t change history, but you can damn sure learn from it, and maybe some kids will learn from this."
The homeowner's son has not been arrested. Mahoney said the case could be sent to the district attorney by Monday for a determination whether to file charges.
Monday's triple shooting also could test the state's "Stand Your Ground" law, which allows citizens to shoot someone if they believe their safety is threatened. Oklahoma is among 24 states with such a provision, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
When the trio returned to the house, Cook, Redfern and Woodruff were dressed in black and wearing masks and gloves, Mahoney said. After they broke in at the back of the house, they were quickly confronted by the homeowner's son, who shot them with an AR-15 rifle, then called 911, according to Mahoney.
"I've just been broken into. Three men. Two I've shot in my house," the homeowner's son tells the dispatcher, sounding relatively collected on the recording released by the county. The son tells the operator he had gone to his bedroom and locked the door. "And you guys need to start EMS. I believe one of them's shot bad."
Two of the teens died inside. The third ran outside and died in the driveway. A knife and brass knuckles were recovered at the scene.
Numerous attempts by The Associated Press to contact the son, who is a pilot, and his parents were unsuccessful Thursday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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