Prosecutors in Boone County, Indiana, have filed a criminal charge against a homeowner who shot and killed a woman working as a house cleaner after she mistakenly went to his residence.
During a press conference on Monday, Nov. 17, Boone County Prosecutor Kent Eastwood announced that Curt Andersen is facing one count of voluntary manslaughter in connection with the death of Maria Florinda Rios Perez de Velasquez, a 32-year-old mother of four from Indianapolis.
Police responded shortly before 7 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 5, to a home in Whitestown — a suburb of Indianapolis with a population of around 10,000 — and found the woman dead on the front porch.
According to the Whitestown Metropolitan Police Department, Rios Perez de Velasquez had arrived at the home with her husband as part of a cleaning crew.
Her husband, Mauricio Velazquez, told WRTV that the couple had been working in home cleaning for seven months. He said he did not realize his wife had been shot until she collapsed into his arms and he “saw that the blood went everywhere.”
Velazquez had trouble opening the front door and handed his wife the keys — moments later, the fatal shot was fired, according to her brother, Rudy Rios, who spoke to The New York Times.
Police originally responded to a 911 call reporting a “possible” residential entry in progress. They attempted lifesaving measures, but Rios Perez de Velasquez was pronounced dead at the scene. The Boone County Coroner’s Office reported that she died from a gunshot wound to the head.
A probable cause affidavit states that Andersen fired a single shot from the top of his staircase, through a closed and locked door, “knowing two individuals were on the other side.” When questioned, he allegedly acknowledged that he did not announce himself or issue any warning before firing. He also reportedly heard a man crying afterward but thought he might have only frightened them.
“The facts gathered do not support that a residential entry occurred,” the Whitestown police said in a Nov. 5 statement.
Investigators submitted their findings to Eastwood on Friday, Nov. 7. Days later, he shared that deciding whether to bring charges would be difficult. In a Nov. 9 statement, Eastwood said prosecutors must apply Indiana law impartially, noting the state’s Stand Your Ground protections that allow the use of deadly force if an individual reasonably believes it is necessary to stop an intruder.
On Monday, Eastwood explained that Andersen’s actions do not fall within the legal protections of that law.
“This case is not about undermining the law — it is about applying the law to the facts of this case, and that is what we intend to prove at trial,” Eastwood said, offering condolences to the victim’s family.
Andersen could not be reached for comment, and it remains unclear whether he has retained an attorney. He is currently being held without bond pending his initial court appearance.
The charge follows a vigil held on Monday, Nov. 10, outside the prosecutor’s office by family, friends and community supporters calling for justice. Rios Perez de Velasquez’s brother has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help return her body to Guatemala for burial, raising more than $100,000 so far.
