Case Scenario:
Richard and his wife Christine had settled down for the evening and were going to bed when they heard a loud noise. Richard retrieved his colt 45 while Christine and their daughter Coral left the house through the back door. Richard approached the kitchen when an intruder confronted him. The intruder appeared to have an unknown item in his hand. Fearing for the safety of his wife and daughter, Richard reacted and shot the intruder. The intruder ran about 5 feet before he dropped on the floor. Richard called 911, and the police arrived within fifteen minutes to find that the intruder had expired. The deceased was Eric, a friend of the family who had left his house keys on the kitchen counter and was trying to get them without waking the family. When the police arrived they asked Richard what happened. Richard answered that he shot Eric. Should Richard be charged with committing a crime? If Richard did commit a crime, which crime did he commit? When answering the question please discuss the duty-to-retreat and the stand-your-ground laws. Can Richard’s statement that he shot Eric be used against him in a criminal proceeding?