Author of Texas 'Castle Doctrine' self-defense law says it wasn't designed for defendants like Amber Guyger.
The former Texas lawmaker who wrote the state's "Castle Doctrine" self-defense law said it"wasn't designed" to be used to defend people like former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger, who was convicted of murder Tuesday for fatally shooting an innocent man in an apartment she thought was her own.
"It was designed for you in your home. It wasn't designed for this kind of circumstance that existed in this Dallas case," Wentworth, now a justice of the peace in San Antonio, told ABC News following Guyger's conviction on Tuesday. "Clearly, I don't think anybody anticipated, I certainly did not, that someone would shoot and kill someone in their own house believing that they were in their own," Wentworth said."I mean that's just a circumstance I don't think anybody had thought of. I can say that I didn't foresee this kind of situation. No."
He said he wrote the legislation after reading a newspaper article about former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush signing that state's"stand your ground" law. "Over the years, either through legislative action or court cases, we had lost that right to defend ourselves in our own homes and that, in fact, we had a duty to retreat," Wentworth said."That just genuinely offended me because, you know, if I'm sitting with my family in my house watching the news at 10 o'clock at night and somebody's bashing in the front door with a crowbar, I shouldn't have to have a duty to retreat.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Trump Embraced Ukraine Conspiracy Theory, Former Adviser SaysWASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump was repeatedly warned by his own staff that the Ukraine conspiracy theory he and his lawyer were pursuing was "completely debunked" long before the president pressed Ukraine this summer to investigate his Democratic rivals, a former top adviser said Sunday.Thomas
Read more »
President Trump 'wetting his pants' over Ukraine scandal says former Republican chairMichael Steele also said President Trump's tweets about the whistleblower were his way of 'trying to get control of something he's losing a grip on.'
Read more »
BREAKING: Former envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker plans to testify ThursdayAccording to a spokesperson at the McCain Institute at Arizona State University, former envoy to Ukraine, Kurt Volker plans to testify this week.
Read more »
'I think my bladder changed': Former teacher describes years without bathroom breaksJamilah Pitts spent six years teaching English in New York public schools before moving into an administrative role. 'There were just many days when I was constantly empty and ... pouring out from an empty cup.'
Read more »
Former White House official says secret Trump-Putin conversations might be hidden to save president embarrassmentA record of the now infamous call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was reportedly kept on a top secret server intended only for the most sensitive material.
Read more »
Muhammad Ali, a former actor living abroad, is riling up EgyptiansHis YouTube videos bashing the president have spurred protests
Read more »