Intruder shot, may have been sleepwalking

[Luddly Neddite]

Intruder shot on porch may have been sleepwalking

RHOME, Texas — A man shot dead on his neighbor's porch insisting that he wanted inside likely was sleepwalking, according to his brother.

At 4 a.m. Friday, Spencer Crandall, 31, began to knock on his neighbor's door and ring the bell, Wise County Sheriff David Walker said. Craig Rigtrup was inside with his wife and 14-year-old daughter and didn't know the early morning intruder.

Rigtrup called 9-1-1 to report someone was trying to break in.

"The homeowner armed himself and went outside," Walker said. "That's when he saw a man trying to jump a fence that was between his house and his neighbor's home," later clarifying that Crandall was trying to climb a privacy fence into Rigtrup's backyard, about 40 miles northwest of Dallas.


USA TODAY

The two fought in Rigtrup's yard.

"At some point, (Rigtrup) backed away from the man and told him he was armed," Walker said. "The man kept saying he needed to get inside of the house."

Then Rigtrup fired one shot at Crandall's chest, killing him. Deputies arrived to find him dead on the front porch.

Ryan Crandall, a lawyer in Plano, Texas, said his brother had been sleepwalking and that the problem had been getting worse. Spencer's wife, Amanda, suspected a link to muscle relaxers prescribed for ruptured discs.

"Sometimes he would make it into the front yard, and she would go out and physically grab his arm and pull him back into the house so that he would be safe," Ryan Crandall said.

Never trust your neighbor.
Shoot first, ask questions later.

Its the American way.

 

[Katzndogz]

That this man had a condition that led to sleepwalking did not confer an obligation on the part of the neighbor to correctly diagnose the condition of the man fighting with him.

 

[R.D.]

He already called the police. From the story, I call it murder.

 

[bucs90]

So now cops and citizens must do a fucking medical exam before defending themselves?

If it was that big a problem...the guy should've used a handcuff with a long chain on his bed to ensure he didnt walk away.

Fuck all this shit lately where no one can defend themselves anymore.

 

[bucs90]

He already called the police. From the story, I call it murder.

Hell no.

The homeowner saw someone trying to enter his home. He tried to fight him off and lost. And the guy kept coming. He has a right to protect his family.

The facts we find out in hindsight dont matter. Only what the homeowner thought he was encountering matter.

Mans wife should've handcuffed him to the bed to sleep.if the problem was getting this bad.

 

[R.D.]

He already called the police. From the story, I call it murder.

Hell no.

The homeowner saw someone trying to enter his home. He tried to fight him off and lost. And the guy kept coming. He has a right to protect his family.

The facts we find out in hindsight dont matter. Only what the homeowner thought he was encountering matter.

Mans wife should've handcuffed him to the bed to sleep.if the problem was getting this bad.

Not so. He went outside and confronted the neighbor, after he left his porch and after calling the police. The neighbor wasn't at the house but in his yard.

 

[bucs90]

He already called the police. From the story, I call it murder.

Hell no.

The homeowner saw someone trying to enter his home. He tried to fight him off and lost. And the guy kept coming. He has a right to protect his family.

The facts we find out in hindsight dont matter. Only what the homeowner thought he was encountering matter.

Mans wife should've handcuffed him to the bed to sleep.if the problem was getting this bad.

Not so. He went outside and confronted the neighbor, after he left his porch and after calling the police. The neighbor wasn't at the house but in his yard.

In the yard...still trying to get into the mans home. Saying "I want inside" where the mans family is.

Sorry. Tragic. But it was a legal self defense.

 

[R.D.]

He already called the police. From the story, I call it murder.

Hell no.

The homeowner saw someone trying to enter his home. He tried to fight him off and lost. And the guy kept coming. He has a right to protect his family.

The facts we find out in hindsight dont matter. Only what the homeowner thought he was encountering matter.

Mans wife should've handcuffed him to the bed to sleep.if the problem was getting this bad.

Not so. He went outside and confronted the neighbor, after he left his porch and after calling the police. The neighbor wasn't at the house but in his yard.

In the yard...still trying to get into the mans home. Saying "I want inside" where the mans family is.

Sorry. Tragic. But it was a legal self defense.

We won't agree. We'll have to wait and see what the jury decides.

 

[pismoe]

i probably agree with you Bucs !! [Funny] Medical exam before shooting the intruder . Yep , guy shoulda chained himself to the bed as precaution .

 

[martybegan]

He already called the police. From the story, I call it murder.

Hell no.

The homeowner saw someone trying to enter his home. He tried to fight him off and lost. And the guy kept coming. He has a right to protect his family.

The facts we find out in hindsight dont matter. Only what the homeowner thought he was encountering matter.

Mans wife should've handcuffed him to the bed to sleep.if the problem was getting this bad.

Not so. He went outside and confronted the neighbor, after he left his porch and after calling the police. The neighbor wasn't at the house but in his yard.

In the yard...still trying to get into the mans home. Saying "I want inside" where the mans family is.

Sorry. Tragic. But it was a legal self defense.

We won't agree. We'll have to wait and see what the jury decides.

It was on his property, and he was already in a physical altercation. You have a right to defend yourself and your family.

This guy is innocent of any charges whatsoever.

 

[Ravi]

Why would you think someone knocking at your door and ringing your doorbell was trying to break in?

 

[martybegan]

Why would you think someone knocking at your door and ringing your doorbell was trying to break in?

Because anyone trying to break into your house is guaranteed to be completely sane, and of course, insane people cannot kill you.

 

[Silent Warrior]

Let's see, the brother who happens to be a lawyer, says he might have been sleepwalking. I'm sure a lawyer wouldn't lie or smell a lawsuit if he could only come up with something he can get a jury to buy.


We'll see what the jury says. It's better to be tried by 12 than carried by 6.

 

[R.D.]

He already called the police. From the story, I call it murder.

Hell no.

The homeowner saw someone trying to enter his home. He tried to fight him off and lost. And the guy kept coming. He has a right to protect his family.

The facts we find out in hindsight dont matter. Only what the homeowner thought he was encountering matter.

Mans wife should've handcuffed him to the bed to sleep.if the problem was getting this bad.

Not so. He went outside and confronted the neighbor, after he left his porch and after calling the police. The neighbor wasn't at the house but in his yard.

In the yard...still trying to get into the mans home. Saying "I want inside" where the mans family is.

Sorry. Tragic. But it was a legal self defense.

We won't agree. We'll have to wait and see what the jury decides.

It was on his property, and he was already in a physical altercation. You have a right to defend yourself and your family.

This guy is innocent of any charges whatsoever.

The guy clearly was afraid, that's why he called the police. So why then, after the neighbor left his porch did he go out and confront him? The physical altercation occurred because he left his house - with a gun.

If he was trying to break into the house I would agree. But it didn't get that far. A guy is dead now when it could have been laughed off if handle better. Just my opinion.

 

[martybegan]

Hell no.

The homeowner saw someone trying to enter his home. He tried to fight him off and lost. And the guy kept coming. He has a right to protect his family.

The facts we find out in hindsight dont matter. Only what the homeowner thought he was encountering matter.

Mans wife should've handcuffed him to the bed to sleep.if the problem was getting this bad.

Not so. He went outside and confronted the neighbor, after he left his porch and after calling the police. The neighbor wasn't at the house but in his yard.

In the yard...still trying to get into the mans home. Saying "I want inside" where the mans family is.

Sorry. Tragic. But it was a legal self defense.

We won't agree. We'll have to wait and see what the jury decides.

It was on his property, and he was already in a physical altercation. You have a right to defend yourself and your family.

This guy is innocent of any charges whatsoever.

The guy clearly was afraid, that's why he called the police. So why then, after the neighbor left his porch did he go out and confront him? The physical altercation occurred because he left his house - with a gun.

If he was trying to break into the house I would agree. But it didn't get that far. A guy is dead now when it could have been laughed off if handle better. Just my opinion.

Your property = your house. and calling the police doesn't mean you give up your rights to defend yourself, your family, and yes, your property.

Would you be laughing if this guy pummeled the homeowner while sleepwalking?

 

[R.D.]

Not so. He went outside and confronted the neighbor, after he left his porch and after calling the police. The neighbor wasn't at the house but in his yard.

In the yard...still trying to get into the mans home. Saying "I want inside" where the mans family is.

Sorry. Tragic. But it was a legal self defense.

We won't agree. We'll have to wait and see what the jury decides.

It was on his property, and he was already in a physical altercation. You have a right to defend yourself and your family.

This guy is innocent of any charges whatsoever.

The guy clearly was afraid, that's why he called the police. So why then, after the neighbor left his porch did he go out and confront him? The physical altercation occurred because he left his house - with a gun.

If he was trying to break into the house I would agree. But it didn't get that far. A guy is dead now when it could have been laughed off if handle better. Just my opinion.

Your property = your house. and calling the police doesn't mean you give up your rights to defend yourself, your family, and yes, your property.

Would you be laughing if this guy pummeled the homeowner while sleepwalking?

He would not have been pummeled if he stayed in his house. Plus a fool with a gun getting into a scuffle is lucky it wasn't turned on him. He only had to defend himself because he put himself in the situation in the yard.

Laughing was addressing the fact he may have been a harmless sleepwalker.

 

[martybegan]

In the yard...still trying to get into the mans home. Saying "I want inside" where the mans family is.

Sorry. Tragic. But it was a legal self defense.

We won't agree. We'll have to wait and see what the jury decides.

It was on his property, and he was already in a physical altercation. You have a right to defend yourself and your family.

This guy is innocent of any charges whatsoever.

The guy clearly was afraid, that's why he called the police. So why then, after the neighbor left his porch did he go out and confront him? The physical altercation occurred because he left his house - with a gun.

If he was trying to break into the house I would agree. But it didn't get that far. A guy is dead now when it could have been laughed off if handle better. Just my opinion.

Your property = your house. and calling the police doesn't mean you give up your rights to defend yourself, your family, and yes, your property.

Would you be laughing if this guy pummeled the homeowner while sleepwalking?

He would not have been pummeled if he stayed in his house. Plus a fool with a gun getting into a scuffle is lucky it wasn't turned on him. He only had to defend himself because he put himself in the situation in the yard.

Laughing was addressing the fact he may have been a harmless sleepwalker.

You have no duty to retreat on your own property. The police are not the only ones with the right to protect themselves, their loved ones, or their property. It sucks this guy was killed, by the shooter is in no way criminally liable, or even civilly liable.

 

[Rozman]

Protecting your family is job number one....
The home owner had an obligation to go outside to see what was going on.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

He already called the police. From the story, I call it murder.

Hell no.

The homeowner saw someone trying to enter his home. He tried to fight him off and lost. And the guy kept coming. He has a right to protect his family.

The facts we find out in hindsight dont matter. Only what the homeowner thought he was encountering matter.

Mans wife should've handcuffed him to the bed to sleep.if the problem was getting this bad.

Not so. He went outside and confronted the neighbor, after he left his porch and after calling the police. The neighbor wasn't at the house but in his yard.

In the yard...still trying to get into the mans home. Saying "I want inside" where the mans family is.

Sorry. Tragic. But it was a legal self defense.

We won't agree. We'll have to wait and see what the jury decides.

Won't be a trial.
Happened in Texas where you can shoot intruders on your property to include them not a threat to yourself.

 

[DigitalDrifter]

Once his wife was aware of his sleepwalking problem, she should have been more responsible and taken action to see to it that he remained inside of their house at night.