STROUDSBURG, Pa. — A man is on trial for a deadly shooting in the Poconos, but he argues he had every right to do it.
Randy Halterman of Stroud Township had nothing to say when he walked through the Monroe County Courthouse for the first day of his trial on a charge of criminal homicide.
Prosecutors say Halterman told investigators that he shot and killed 20-year-old Adam Schultz from East Stroudsburg in January 2021.
He also shot and wounded a woman. Both were inside his home, which was filled with trash.
The woman told police that she and Schultz went into the home, thinking it was abandoned.
During opening statements, the prosecution said evidence, including the initial 911 call and the taped police interview, shows Halterman had the intent to kill when he fired nine shots at the trespassers.
Three of those shots hit Schultz.
But his defense lawyer says Halterman's actions were justified under the Castle Doctrine, which protects people defending their property.
The doctrine gives people the right to use deadly force to defend themselves if they are in danger of attack in their home.
Halterman's lawyer says that just because his home looked abandoned does not give anyone the right to break in.
The defense pointed out that if Halterman intended to kill the woman who broke into his home, he had the means and opportunity to, but he didn't and saying that Halterman feared for his safety, not knowing the trespassers didn't have weapons.
Halterman is charged with criminal homicide, attempted homicide, and aggravated assault.
The trial is expected to last four days.
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