BUFFALO, MINN. - A 30-year-old Rockford man "may have been very well justified" when he shot to death his girlfriend's former boyfriend after the armed intruder entered her home overnight, the Wright County attorney said this morning.
Eric M. Cegon shot Erik A. Richter, 35, of Watertown twice with a shotgun before dawn Wednesday after Richter forced his way through a back door into Samantha E. Simons' Rockford home, County Attorney Thomas Kelly said.
Richter had a loaded handgun when he tried to enter the doorway of the bedroom where Simons, 21, and Cegon and her 2-year-old son had been sleeping, Kelly said. Richter was the boy's father.
Kelly said state law allows a person to defend himself or others in a home if the person believes there is a threat of great bodily harm or death. He said that Cegon was released pending completion of the investigation and an autopsy on Richter, who did not fire his handgun.
"This is a classic domestic situation gone bad," Kelly said. "Cegon may have been very well justified in taking one's life. ... Richter had threatened Simons more than once [that he would] kill her boyfriend."
Kelly said he was unaware of any drugs or alcohol being involved in Wednesday's altercation. He noted that Richter was sentenced to four years in prison on a methamphetamine conviction in 1998.
Kelly also noted that Richter was charged in April 2005 with making terroristic threats against Simons. That case was dropped after she failed to appear for his trial, Kelly said.
And a week before Richter was killed, he threatened Simons with a kitchen knife at her home and said he would kill Cegon, Kelly said.
"He refused to let her go, and said that if he couldn't have her, nobody would," Kelly said.
Richter had been charged in November with making terroristic threats against Cegon.
The break-in violated conditions of Richter's release from jail on the terroristic threats charge. He was accused of threatening to kill Cegon on Nov. 4, when Simons was at the boyfriend's house in Rockford, said Lt. Todd Hoffman of the Wright County Sheriff's Office.
About 4 a.m. that morning, Richter banged on the doors and windows at Cegon's house, yelled threats and broke windows of Cegon's car. He also allegedly sent e-mails threatening to kill Cegon.
http://www.startribune.com/467/story/875873.html
Eric M. Cegon shot Erik A. Richter, 35, of Watertown twice with a shotgun before dawn Wednesday after Richter forced his way through a back door into Samantha E. Simons' Rockford home, County Attorney Thomas Kelly said.
Richter had a loaded handgun when he tried to enter the doorway of the bedroom where Simons, 21, and Cegon and her 2-year-old son had been sleeping, Kelly said. Richter was the boy's father.
Kelly said state law allows a person to defend himself or others in a home if the person believes there is a threat of great bodily harm or death. He said that Cegon was released pending completion of the investigation and an autopsy on Richter, who did not fire his handgun.
"This is a classic domestic situation gone bad," Kelly said. "Cegon may have been very well justified in taking one's life. ... Richter had threatened Simons more than once [that he would] kill her boyfriend."
Kelly said he was unaware of any drugs or alcohol being involved in Wednesday's altercation. He noted that Richter was sentenced to four years in prison on a methamphetamine conviction in 1998.
Kelly also noted that Richter was charged in April 2005 with making terroristic threats against Simons. That case was dropped after she failed to appear for his trial, Kelly said.
And a week before Richter was killed, he threatened Simons with a kitchen knife at her home and said he would kill Cegon, Kelly said.
"He refused to let her go, and said that if he couldn't have her, nobody would," Kelly said.
Richter had been charged in November with making terroristic threats against Cegon.
The break-in violated conditions of Richter's release from jail on the terroristic threats charge. He was accused of threatening to kill Cegon on Nov. 4, when Simons was at the boyfriend's house in Rockford, said Lt. Todd Hoffman of the Wright County Sheriff's Office.
About 4 a.m. that morning, Richter banged on the doors and windows at Cegon's house, yelled threats and broke windows of Cegon's car. He also allegedly sent e-mails threatening to kill Cegon.
http://www.startribune.com/467/story/875873.html
