Zachary Peters, 23, acted lawfully when he used deadly force against three home invaders. (Photo: Facebook)
The 23-year-old Oklahoma man who defended his home with an AR-15 against three teen intruders will not face charges, local media reports.
On Monday, Wagoner County Assistant District Attorney Jack Thorp said that Zachary Peters acted lawfully when he shot and killed Maxwell Cook, 18, Jacob Redfern, 18, and Jakob Woodruff, 15, after the trio forced their way into his Broken Arrow residence on March 27.
“It is the opinion of this office that Zachary Peters acted justifiably … when he used deadly force to defend his home,” said Thorp at a press conference.
Wagoner County Sheriff Chris Elliott echoed the prosecutor’s assessment of the case.
“We support the right of our citizens, the right to bear arms and to defend their homes,” Elliott said. “In this such case, we feel strongly that’s what took place here.”
The three teens were wearing masks, hoodies, and gloves during the break-in. They were also armed with brass knuckles and a knife.
The group’s alleged getaway driver, 21-year-old Elizabeth Marie Rodriguez, now faces a slew of charges, including three counts of first-degree murder and two counts of burglary.
Under Oklahoma’s “Felony Murder” law, one can be charged with a murder if they participate in the commission of a felony in which other people are killed, even if that individual does not take part in the killing.
Rodriguez, a mother of three children, has acknowledged that after the group robbed another residence earlier that day, she drove the teens to the Peters’ home and waited outside in the car.
“I understand he (Peters) protected his home,” Rodriguez told television station KOTV. “He had his rights.”
But she said that Peters should have shot the teens in the legs. “He’s at the bottom of my list to be compassionate for,” she said.
In another interview with ABC’s “World News Tonight with David Muir,” Rodriguez said she won’t bear the legal brunt for the killing of her crew.
“I won’t take responsibility for the murders, I won’t. I feel guilty, but I don’t feel responsible,” said a teary-eyed Rodriguez, who, if convicted, may receive the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole.
No bond has been set for Rodriguez. She is due in court for an initial appearance on April 5. In the meantime, she remains in Wagoner County Jail.
It’s not too late to shoot Ms Rodriguez in the legs, is it?
Not if she is shot in the femoral artery…
Ms Rodriguez if justice prevails will be the next botched, (dead is not botched in my view)lethal injection.
Does look good in perp stripes and wrist bling.remember move that sausage like arm when they insert the iv and feel the bern.
“Wagoner County Assistant District Attorney Jack Thorp said that Zachary Peters acted lawfully”
That’s all there is to it, no reason to go any further.
Once I heard a story about a man who got a new puppy. He made no effort to train the puppy, and let it do whatever it pleased. No punishment for pooping or peeing on the floor, no punishment for chewing socks & shoes, no punishment for getting into the trash, etc. In short, the man let his puppy run wild and made no attempt to correct this behavior. When the puppy turned 2 years old, just as he always did, the puppy pooped and peed on the floor, and the man shot him.
Folks, this is just what we are doing with our kids, and stories like this one are a direct result. With our “sensitive”, liberal, lets make a deal, revolving door criminal justice system, there is very little deterrent to crime. What is worse, the liberal idiots managed to outlaw spanking in the schools, and strongly discourage spanking kids at home.
I am not sure just how our once great country got so screwed up, but I am dead certain that liberals and lawyers are involved.
Had a CA resident done what this fellow did, especially if a “black gun” were involved, not to mention the “illegal magazines,” that person would now be sitting in jail for the next 300 years or more. Maybe longer if it had happened in Frisco or LA.
Not true
Castle Doctrine is alive and well, and if you owned a AR-15 before the ban it’s good to go….
No 30 round mag….that would cause problems
Well, FORTUNATELY, it’s NOT UP TO HER TO DECIDE who BEARS the RESPONSIBILITY. AND, just to point out as for “shooting them in the legs”, I seriously DOUBT that the DEAD PERPS would have CAREFULLY PUNCHED HIM IN THE ARM WITH THOSE KNUCKS!!! HAVE A NICE DAY MA’AM!!! IN PRISON!!!
I bet the crime rate in that county hits a 20 year low for the foreseeable future.
I have zero sympathy for any of them. Break into someones home and you deserve to die. Live by the sword – die by the sword …
“But she said that Peters should have shot the teens in the legs. “He’s at the bottom of my list to be compassionate for,” she said.”
Funny, I feel the same way about her; but she’s not at the bottom of my compassion list… she doesn’t even make the list. Hope the judge and jury feel that way too.
Ultimately, those idiots died of stupidity; what kind of morons do a home invasion armed only with brass knuckles and a knife? Even if the guy didn’t have an AR he could’ve repelled that attack with a Louisville Slugger, and those 3 would still probably be dead.
Sooner or later this is always the end result for people that do home invasions; hard to believe they haven’t seen any of the thousands of headlines referring to the 350 million guns currently owned by Americans.
The perps must have thought they were in New York if all they had was knucks and a knife. Oklahoma, however, has sensible gun laws.
“I won’t take responsibility for the murders, I won’t. I feel guilty, but I don’t feel responsible,” said a teary-eyed Rodriguez…
That is precisely what is wrong with this country. I guess no one is responsible for their own shitty decision making. And no one is responsible for the fact that this chick has absolutely no redeemable morals or values.
And, of course, she’s self-righteous about the situation and thinks her intended victim ought to have shot her three partners in armed robbery in the legs. A leg would high enough up to be disabling has an unacceptable chance of cutting the femoral artery – it’s not like the scene in Speed where Keanu Reaves shoots Jeff Bridges high on the thigh and the worst that happens is Bridges has to hobble around on light duty with a cane. In the real world, a dissected femoral artery means you die. Hopefully, Ms Rodriguez will have her entire life to reconsider her words as a guest of the state of Oklahoma.
Yea, as long as er life is a couple of years after her 1st degree murder conviction!
What a crock! He used an ASSAULT WEAPON and killed three, count ’em THREE innocent burglars who just wanted his possessions and / or to hurt and rob the homeowner. How is that fair to the burglars? On a “real” note, thank God he killed them or some lawyer would be spouting the same crap I just wrote in court trying to sue the homeowner. Good shooting, pal!
My system is to double tap the zipper, and one on top of the head.
I would like to have more of the relevant and important facts. Was the ammo used 223 or 5.56? Were the hits the result of double taps and if so what brand of trigger group did he use and how about magazine round capacity and type of sight, open or optic. These are the only concerns I personally have in this matter….
Interesting indeed! M193 or 855?
Did he use varmint hunting ammo.
Was the 3rd target serviced by a pass through? I read accounts he said he shot 2 which means number 3 musta had really bad kharma.
I feel bad for the defender, he’s going to likely have 3 ghosts living in his head forever perhaps. I have one which is bad enough but 3?
Once he’s cleared to go he should move not just for some measure of healing but also the fact that he now has 3 sets of families and friends who could retaliate and you can’t be condition red all the time,,,,
Many states have the charge of felony murder, in which an accomplice can be charged with murder if other individuals are killed in the process, even by law enforcement, even though they did not participate directly in the killing. If this had happened in one of the wacky liberal states like New York, California, Taxachusetts, Connecticut, etc., the result might be very different. He could still be sued for wrongful death by the families of these “poor children” that were slain, although this would likely go nowhere. Irregardless of the side, anyone involved in a shooting will have their life changed forever. The best shooting is the one that doesn’t happen. Good luck to this young man. He will no doubt spend many sleepless nights. The four perpetrators should have chosen another line of work. This should serve as a warning to other wannabe gangsta’s to think twice about trying to make a quick buck at someone else’s expense.
Just WONDERFUL! A 21 year old female with 3 kids acting as a getaway driver instead of being at home taking care of her kids. What’s wrong with this picture????
Everything! Let’s hear it for a progressive society! Trump in 2020
Well, the getaway drivers kids had a bad roll model. Let us hope the new role model for her kids won’t be the same role model that she Rodriguez had. They obviously did a poor job with her. She should never get out of jail unless it is in a body bag.
Her statements say lots. Even she effectively exonerates the shooter for defending himself and his home. Saying that ‘he should have shot for the legs’ is an attempt at psychological bargaining to displace the blame. She is not a victim, in spite of her attempt to engender sympathy. I believe that she is trying to set herself up for a life sentence vis-a-vis casting herself as a sympathetic character. I personally see the merit of either life behind bars (with her living with what she’s done), or the death penalty for the specific purpose of sending a message to other would be crew leaders. My sympathy in this case goes to the shooter for being forced into a situation whereby he undoubtedly will (already has) be traumatized. PTSD where you replay the bad event over and over and over again because your memory just can’t seem to put it away is a bad thing indeed. I’m no keyboard Rambo; I wouldn’t imagine for an instant that he ‘slept like a baby’. I also have sympathy for the parents who are grieving for the wayward sons that they lost. Sadly, they as parents lost them in the days, weeks, months and years before the shooting. For their blame, they need to begin in front of the mirror.
I wish you were a keyboard Rambo, thank you for such a thoughtful comment. Much appreciated.
well said sir
“But she said that Peters should have shot the teens in the legs.”
RIGHT, so they could come back and sue the homeowner in front of a bunch of whiney snowflake Liberals for millions of dollars and support for the rest of their lives? They decided what they were after was worth their lives. Dumb decision on their part.
like TJ Sotomayor said, “live stupid, act stupid, win stupid prize.”
I hope this woman’s 3 little kids now have a chance to grow up to be law-abiding productive citizens now that their criminal mother will not be raising them.
Even though we taxpayers may be financially supporting them until they are adults, that cost will be worthwhile if it saves them from following in the footsteps of mom and her recently deceased associates.
It’s also highly likely the homeowner who defended himself has saved other honest citizens a lot of grief from the local crime wave that no doubt would have continued for an unforeseeable period.
Win for everyone but criminals.
nice shootin
So much for the arguments of the gun grabbers that there are no legitimate uses for privately owned “assault weapons”!
Live like a thug, die like a thug!
Damn right no charges!! This guy should be given the key to the city. Take note bad guys , stay in school, get a job.
Damn right no charges!! This guy should be given the key to the city. Take note bad guys , get a job!!!
Bravo for trash removal now she should be put down as the three thugs.
Break into someones home they should be removed from the gene pool
They brought a knife to a gun fight and these savages lost . Better they ar dead then allowed to breed more criminals
They broke the law, they paid the price. That is the way it works. Makes me further confused why a state like California thinks they can harbor illegal aliens as a sanctuary. They broke the law, they should pay the price. Where in our legal system does it say otherwise?
If it sends a message to other home invaders and law breakers, that would be good. It should also send a message to the radical gun haters who always deny we need guns to protect us and our families.
You have the ages (and name of one) wrong of the criminals (according to local media here) – 19-year-old Maxwell Cook, 17-year-old Jacob Redfern and 16-year-old Jaykob Woodriff
Just some poor misguided youths’ Hope they make her fat ass ride the lighting bolt & soon!!!!
Before you start breaking in to someone’s home for any reason you should remember this incident! Working at a legitimate job for your needs is not as dangerous. Too bad it happened, but tough love is what it is. The “ring leader” is guilty of murder so no compassion for her .
The lies of the liberal progressives about guns need to be dispelled. The NRA is doing a good job to educate the public. It is sad more anti-gun people are not more open minded to the importance of education anand safety training with firearms.
This should send a clear message to eyeryone. The purpose of having any firearm in your home is for protection of that home. Ignore the fact, and break into someone”s home you can pay the ultimate price.
Every state needs Oklahoma’s “Felony Murder” law to purify the nation of the lesser criminal race!
Oklahoma has always been like this, same as Texas. They have NEVER had a problem with anyone protecting their home or Themselves. They are proud of that fact, and they SHOULD be!
They are both states that should be used to structure gun laws around, as an example!
Its most of the other states that need to read this artical, and Follow Suit!
Especially the coastal states. CA, NY, NJ, etc.. those are the ones that NEED to change, and change in a BIG way!
They don’t really care about anyone but themselves, the Politicians I mean, not the people.
There are MANY fine gun owning people in these states. THOSE are who the Politicians FEAR, and this is WHY they press for more and more gun control.
THEY are afraid that soon THEY will be the target of the people they keep abusing! It’s VERY easy to control an unarmed population. THAT is exactly what THEY want to do. NOT to protect anyone from the “evil guns!”
Which states have the Highest Taxes in the country? Yep, you guessed it! This is NOT a coincidence, by any means!
Just a REMINDER here, I AM NOT advocating violence IN ANY WAY against ANYONE! Period!
I am simply stating what I BELIEVE to be the biggest FEARS in these population controlling states. That it’s NOT the crime rate, or even the death rate that they BLAME on guns.
That’s it’s the Politicians that are afraid of ANY armed majority taking their POWER away from THEM!
Why else would NY have such stupid laws? 7 round limit on mags, you can have ten round mags..But YOU can only put 7 rounds IN IT, or YOU broke the law!! STUPID!
Or, being able to buy ammo through the mail. So, everyone else in the country is fine? But for some reason the people of New York can not be TRUSTED to buy ammo that a NY gun dealer has NO record of!!
And the newest one now. I got a letter in the mail just the other day stating that I have untill some date in 2018 to REPORT in WRITING a FORM stating ALL the firearms I OWN to the NY State Police!! Uuumm..Is this NOT firearm registration? We already have to pass a FBI check, and local and state police check, just to get a carry permit in NYS.
They already HAVE a list of EVERY handgun I own! But that’s not enough, now the NY State Police has to have a whole different list?
Way to go NRA!! I have not heard A PEEP out of them about this MASS firearms registration! Not one word!!
That is why I donated the money I USED to give to the NRA, to our gun advocates in NY now.
The NRA has cut us loose! They are either to afraid, or to dependant on NY Politicians, to battle them on serious matters any longer, or if they ever did! Don’t believe me? Name the last battle the NRA WON in NYS?
I believe that THIS is what will SOON be the norm in the states that the NRA has abandoned, and NY is NOT the only one! They will simply shift any and ALL funds they have, to foundations that are truly dedicated to protecting THEIR gun rights, not some one in TX or OK, that have NOTHING to worry about!
Once again!! I do NOT advocate the harming of ANYONE for ANY reason, other than the protection of themselves or their families!
Also, I AM PRO Law Enforcement! My own brother in law is a LT in the County Police. And I have good friends that are NY State Police Officers! I don’t blame THEM for this! Not at all. I blame the Politicians of NYS, and the NRA!!
I hear and understand your frustration and feeling of being left out in the cold! The concerns you have are those which are handled best at the voting booth. If you can’t get those who will protect your human rights in office, it’s time to move, why would anyone want to give their tax dollars to those who want them as salves to the system? If you want questions answered by the NRA call them, email them, they will respond to your concerns! As citizens and maybe even NRA members, we have to understand that in such States as NY for example, it takes time, money and diligent research to come up with ways to combat Orwellian laws and those who make them and back them! We also as you say sometimes have to understand that there are also lost cases and money better spent in other areas like backing replacements for those politicians that want you as a slave to their system! The best results most often doesn’t come over night, even though we would all like Trump to be able to just do our bidding some will happen but it takes time because we are all responsible for the things we’ve allowed them to create which is a government too big for it’s britches Personally I will not live where just exercising my God given human rights will end me up in prison for exercising them! I wish you the best!!
“I won’t take responsibility for the murders, I won’t. I feel guilty, but I don’t feel responsible,” said a teary-eyed Rodriguez
You and you co- idiots are big enough to go do a big boy/girl crime. What were you thinking – you plan to break a door wearing masks, hoodies, and gloves during the break-in and armed with brass knuckles and a knife. What, you thought it was a game? This is foreseeable. If YOU would have not been there this would have not happened. You break in my home I have rights – it is called the Castle Doctrine (a self-defense theory which gives a homeowner the right to protect his home with the use of deadly force). All I can say to the shooter – well done. And as to you, Ms. Rodriguez, I got news for you, YOU ARE responsible – one forced you to be there and YOU are responsible the deaths of three stupid kids. And I hope you only get to see your kids in prison for the rest of your life.
I believe the issue is one of ‘passing the buck’.
She is being charged with murder for shots fired (and kills made) not by her, but by the home defender.
The wording of the law appears to be getting twisted. Written to charge getaway drivers with murder should a robber kill someone. Now being applied for the opposite circumstance (for kills made by a defender).
In any case, I believe in personal responsibility. In that approach, everyone should be responsible for what they personally did – not what anyone else did.
She certainly has ‘it’ coming to her for participatong in a home invasion, but she personally had nothing to do with the killings. It’s immoral to charge her with crimes which she could not control (her brain not connected to the muscles of the shooter).
Scheherazade,
The comment you made is ignorant. You should really think twice about commenting here in the future. If you don’t comment those that read these posts will have no idea how ignorant you truly are. This woman needs to be put to death for her role in this crime. She is the person responsible for these punks dying. Wake the f*ck up you ignorant moron. Oh yeah in closing have a nice day and try not to be so ignorant moving forward!
They brought deadly weapons with them into a home invasion and could have easily killed someone. She likely knew that. She accepts that behavior, but doesn’t want to take responsibility for what happens as a result? Stupid. The mere fact that they brought deadly weapons with them to a robbery and she was assisting them makes her at fault for anything that happens. Had she not been there, she wouldn’t be in this situation. It’s a good law to link her to their deaths. It should make people think more than twice about being stupid.
She should be charged with (at min) being an accessory to armed robbery, or (at max) as accessory to attempted murder. Because those charges describe her actions – and her actions are precisely what she should be charged with.
Imagine you are in court. Wouldn’t you want to be charged with what you actually did?
I get it that it feels good to just slam an ahole with piled on charges, but that approach is dangerous. It comes back to bite you should you end up in court and the shoe is on the other foot.
Remember, there are over 10k laws wherever you set foot, between fed/state/county/city. Statistically, the ‘average’ person commits a few obscure felonies per day. There is a saying : Show me the man, I’ll show you the criminal. Anyone can end up in court, including yourself. Literal fairness should be a goal.
By all means, charge this girl with what she did. Leave the make believe out of court.
Look, dude, the only one twisting the words of the law is you. Let me spell it out for you, right out of the Oklahoma Penal Code, http://statelaws.findlaw.com/oklahoma-law/oklahoma-first-degree-murder.html; This dumb cow is being charged with First Degree Murder because those charges against her match the following criteria listed under that statute:
“Felony Murder:
Taking the life of a human during the commission (or attempted commission) of one of the following crimes: murder, shooting a firearm with the intent to kill, intentionally discharging a firearm into a building, forcible rape, robbery with a dangerous weapon, kidnapping, escape from lawful custody, first-degree burglary, first-degree arson, unlawful distribution of a controlled dangerous substance, or trafficking in illegal drugs.
An offender commits first-degree murder if he, or any other person kills a human as a result of the commission (or attempted commission) of the crimes listed above.”
She was not just a willing participant, but she even admitting to planning this crap so how is she not responsible for the deaths of the 3 stooges there? Oklahoma law clearly states that she is. What’s so hard for you to understand that?
Perhaps she (and you) never heard the phrase, “Decisions have consequences”. She made a choice to plan a home invasion. Then she chose to enlist her three cohorts to do the deed. THEY chose to do the deed, and died for their choices. SHE, being the mastermind of the plot, is culpable for her co-conspirators’ deaths as greatly as if she had pulled the trigger herself. So the state IS going to “charge her with what she did”.
Kudos for the Wagoner county DA. I hope the driver of the “getaway car” gets 3 consecutive life sentences. The only tragedy here is that she has already reproduced 3 little bastards that will spend their entire life on welfare.
He should be rewarded by not having to pay taxes for the rest of his life. He must have saved us at least 100 times than he would ever pay in court costs, incarceration costs, probation/parole costs, insurance claims, stolen property costs, and personal injury costs over the lifetimes of these criminals.
did i read where the family’s are suing him ?
In Oklahoma we have a law that protects victims from civil litigation resulting from the use of justified deadly force to protect their lives. The families can try to sue – but if it gets far enough to actually go in front of a judge, it will likely be tossed out immediately because of our law here.
I understand the grandfather and his grief. But these three were committing acts of violence against the general public. Disguised and hooded, Who’s to know how old and who they are? That poor homeowner would have been totally shocked, scared and potentially fighting for his life. The notion of “shooting to wound” or “he should have shot them in the legs” carries no weight. Three bad guys broke into this man’s home! Three! If ONE broke into to his home I’m certain that he would have still felt in danger! We have to be able to protect ourselves and our families.
As far as the driver is concerned, she bares as much guilt as the rest. She may not have broken the window, but she sure helped plan all of these robberies and provided the transportation. No remorse for her.
If they had obeyed the teachings of the Lord Baby Jesus they would still be alive. Amen.
It took a lot of preparation and thought to be ready to defend his home. I applaud his readiness. I wish my house was as prepared.
Hmmm…3 kids before the age of 21, probably receiving gubbmint “benefits”…..not responsible for her actions….blames the homeowner for her criminal actions….I’m smelling a Hilary supporter here
It was definitely the homeowner’s fault. He had stuff they wanted and it is only fair that they should be able to take what they want.
Yeah, he should be locked up for his white privilege alone! Not to mention all of his stuff. Rich bastage shoulda shared.
Clearly he was justified and justice served. Training is key to self defense.
Front sight offers superior training to any other facility.
The knowledge of knowing when you are legally within your rites and knowing to look past your target for collateral damage are critical. You need to know what you are doing or trouble could be yours.
Idiot! If my weapon comes out, the time for leg shooting or shots in the air or ground have long past. At that’s point its “stand down or were gonna dance” time. Once you break into someones house, any second chance is gone. (Unless you’ve come to give me money or take me out to dinner). But the conversation probly won’t make it to that point. If it didn’t irritate me so much, it might be a little bit funny. Shoot them in the leg….. HA! See you in the chair baby!
Oklahoma stood up for common man/women, is the rest of the country listening?
If you are going to break in with intent, you must reap the actions of the person(s) inside.
Well done Oklahoma!
Agreed! It’s all sobs and tears when it’s not their home being broken into by THREE masked and hooded assailants! This family was ambushed in their home and did what any homeowner with a brain would have done in their place.
You play, you pay.
Must be a Liberal, Never responsible for their actions. Deserves the death penalty.
A 5.56 to the leg could kill you nearly as fast as one to the torso. Take out the femoral artery and you are toast.
Yes I’m sure they were planning to stab him in the leg as well.
True, they weren’t planning on hitting anyone in the legs. She deserved a couple of shots to the head too. Execute her, quick! No need for deals.
The country is finally being returned to common sense since the election let’s hang on to the movement!!!!!
As well you shouldn’t. I put most of the blame on the parents. Without Christian adult and parent guidance they’re having to bury their children.
Everyone wants to blame the parents. Sometimes they just go bad, drugs, hanging around the wrong people…..
And the parents have NO BLAME in those actions either??
Sorry pal, but I do NOT agree!
Agreed. You can do EVERYTHING right as a parent, but still end up with a kid who tells you to “fuck off”. Not knowing how the parents were raising these kids, I can’t pass judgment. But … if they weren’t putting in the efforts needed, then they can’t complain about what their kid does. If my kid was one of these three kids killed, I would naturally feel very sad, but stick with a realization that he got what was coming to him.
If the parents of the kids sue we will know what kind of parents they are.
I’m not a Christian and neither is my husband and our 4 children all know better than to ever act like that. They know what could potentially be on the other side of the door and if they got away from the home owners we would march them right back and call the cops for them. You don’t have to be a Christian to be a good parent.
Glenn, how many times has the famous Christian pastor Al Sharpton gone to raise money to get thugs released from jail after beating people up or killing them? “Christian” on the label doesn’t mean “Christian inside”.
A Trifecta for personal civilian defense with a AR15. Well done!
Like 🙂
It’s funny how she changes her tune now that she’s lawyer’d up. Shoot people in the leg? Guilty not responsible? What’s the matter with these twits?
A sane conclusion by the D.A. Take warning criminals. America is arming up and standing up. Your free ride will soon be over.