A man in Goose Creek, South Carolina is using the “stand your ground” defense after he shot and burned some intruders. The “stand your ground” laws allow someone to shoot intruders in their home.
James Edward Loftis, 39, is facing murder charges in the deaths of taxi driver, Guma Oz Dubar, 46, and his friend James Cody Newland, 32. Loftis rode in the cab home from a strip club and didn’t want to pay his fare.
So far his story has not been consistent. One time he said he invited the two men in, and in another story, he said they barged into his home.
After he shot the men, he dragged the bodies outside, buried their bodies in a shallow grave, and burned them. He also threw his own bloody clothes into the fire.
His lawyer, Stephen Harris, said:
“He’s a human being. He freaked out and thought he was going to prison, so he tried to hide the bodies. Nobody knows how you’re going to react when you kill two people.”
Loftis has posted a $250,000 bail.
As the Post and Courier reports:
“In documents, the Goose Creek Police Department portrayed Loftis’ account of what happened next: Dubar and Newland forced their way into the home and demanded the cab fare. Loftis said he would get the money, but he emerged from the kitchen instead with a .45-caliber pistol and fired eight times. His wife came home to the sight of bullet holes in the wall. Some blood was on the floor. She contacted the police.”
If he had not burned the victims, he would probably be free. But burning them after shooting them was a bad idea. The police think it showed malice.
Deputy Solicitor Bryan Alfaro said:
“They were essentially just slow-cooked inside the grave site.”
This man went beyond self-defense, this is murder.
Featured image via Video.
