Re: SC Officer shot 4 times in the back and killed - investigation continuing

[xephael]

Preacherman shutdown this thread quite a long time ago: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=96982

In case anyone didn't hear about it, there was a new trial and he was actually cleared of murder.

Man cleared in 2004 death of off-duty Beaufort deputy
Associated Press
Wednesday, October 28, 2009


COLUMBIA — A man has been cleared in the 2004 shooting death of an off-duty South Carolina sheriff's deputy.

The State reported that 63-year-old Thomas Rye of Eastover was found not guilty of murder late Monday in the death of 22-year-old Robert Odam, a Beaufort County sheriff's deputy from Bluffton.

Rye had shot Odam after a number of Rye's pets had been killed on his property.

Rye was convicted of murder in 2005, but the South Carolina Supreme Court ordered a new trial, saying property owners have the right to use "reasonable force" against a person who is trespassing.

Testimony indicates Odam was carrying an AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifle when he went onto Rye's property on Aug. 14, 2004. The property was fenced and had No Trespassing signs.

Rye had a .30 caliber rifle and fired after a confrontation.

 

[ArmedBear]

What hell this poor man has been through, for defending his home.

It's really difficult to believe that he'd ever been convicted of murder for shooting a man walking around his clearly-marked property with an AR-15, after a confrontation with him.

 

[Bobarino]

this is the first i had heard of him being shot in the back. is that accurate?

 

[Lou McGopher]

It's really difficult to believe that he'd ever been convicted of murder for shooting a man walking around his clearly-marked property with an AR-15, after a confrontation with him.

It's similar to the case of Cory Maye.
Shoot the wrong kind of intruder, and suddenly Castle Doctrine and your right to self-defense is no longer that important.

 

[paintballdude902]

im glad but sad with this it shows that off duty officers arent immune to trespassing laws

if it was anyone else i think he would have been cleared to start since he was trespassing and armed

 

[wishin]

Justice has been served! I've got to think he was imprisoned in the interim. I wonder if he has any recourse - maybe some monetary compensation?

 

[xephael]

this is the first i had heard of him being shot in the back. is that accurate?

http://insession.blogs.cnn.com/2010/01/12/defendant-gives-tour-of-crime-scene/#

The excerpts of the court session were being aired on TruTV on "In Session". They discussed wounds and showed pictures but I didn't fully catch that portion of the case. If I recall correctly it sounded like one of the shots that hit Robert Odam was on his backside as he was falling, or tying to shield himself from being shot.

Robert Odam's friend was caught lying on the stand twice, and Thomas Rye seemed to be lying about shots being fired at him.

The guys property is a dump and looks completely abandoned. It also sounded like he had a bunch of free roaming cats that should have been taken care of by animal control prior to all of this.

It seems like everyone involved in this incident was nuts or at fault in one way or another. A few cats and a human died, and a man went to prison for close to a year and has over 500k in lawyers fees to deal with.

 

[Warhawk83]

Ok, the video didn't work for me.
What the hell was the deputy doing there? Was he responding to a call or was he the one killing the cats. I completely understand Mr. Rye firing on a guy roaming his property,in street clothes, with an AR.

It is a very bad idea to roam a secluded property with no trespassing signs, while carrying a EBR. It's a worse idea if you are in the South.

 

[rm23]

I read all of the first thread yesterday and went to all of the links that were related to the case. In short, the deputy and his friends hopped a fence with a no trespassing sign to shoot some cats and break into a shed and steal tools and other expensive equipment. The landowner called the police a bunch of times and they wouldn't do anything about the cat killing, and they were supposed to be on their way when the shooting happened.

My opinion is that the dead man shouldn't have been there doing the things he was doing. Also, his occupation is irrelevant in this case, as he was off duty and not in uniform.

 

[Warhawk83]

I agree, I wonder how much of a background check they did on that ****** before letting him into the academy.