MovieChat Forums > Fear Thy Neighbor (2014) Discussion > "Kill De sac"

"Kill De sac"

posted 9 years ago by cdjunkee-1
17 replies | jump to latest

I live in a neighborhood full of kids. Sure it gets annoying but I just ignore them. They've never really done anything bad except gather in the street and play. That being said I can understand how the Military man neighbor would be annoyed by them coming on to his property. Unless they have permission you just don't do that. The Dad should have backed off when his neighbor told him not to come in the House. I don't believe it was premeditated murder.

I'm not saying the Dad deserved to die but he should've just walked away. The Princess Leah music video at the end was just bizarre. But I'm not sure how I'd react if it had happened to my Dad. The kids should have been disciplined and left the guy's yard alone. I have a feeling they were allowed to free reign and never told "no". Being told to stay off someone's property is not being "berated".

~Keep on Trucking!~

[–] Tornado-chaser 9 years ago

What the show failed to mention was that the Dad WAS drunk. His blood alcohol level was 0.19, more than twice the legal driving limit. The show intimated he "might" have been drunk. There is no might to it. He was drunk and was likely in the mood to fight. It's just a shame the way he was dealt with. The military man had called the police so many times. What was one more? Hard to believe he didn't at least get manslaughter with the Dad being unarmed and all. And all those kids had to see it happen :(

[–] cdjunkee-1 9 years ago

Whoa really? I sometimes wonder about these shows because you get it from two points of view. We as the viewer only have the program to go by. (unless we Google it I guess)

~Keep on Trucking!~

[–] GraceFromSoCal 9 years ago

I just watched it. Wow. He got off without even a slap on the wrist. Amazing.

If the Dad's blood alcohol level was high, as another post in this thread says, that should have worked AGAINST the military guy, because it would mean the Dad wasn't in full control of his faculties. Therefore, military guy should've used MORE caution when dealing with him.

At any rate, I believe the jury got it horribly wrong. Killing an unarmed, drunk man in cold blood should yield SOMETHING in terms of punishment.

--

http://www.CaliforniaDreamsPhotography.com

[–] cdjunkee-1 9 years ago

There was a similar case where a drunk teenager had sneaked into his neighbors home via an open window. He was heading up the stairs when the neighbor shot him thinking he was an intruder. I believe in both cases the homicide was justifiable.

the Dad being drunk doesn't give him the right to barge into someone's home all irate. He warned him not to come in. Because someone is drunk doesn't make them any less harmful. According to the other poster the Dad had barged in other times also.

Anyway that's just my 2 cents.

~Keep on Trucking!~

[–] aac7294 9 years ago

I have to wonder how factual some of this stuff is...they kept referring to the Military Man as working for the Department of Homeland Security. The tragic shooting took place in 1995 long before 9/11 and the subsequent CREATION of the Department of Homeland Security.

[–] Tornado-chaser 9 years ago

Yea my understanding was that he worked for FEMA. The skateboarding kid who gave CPR to the Dad said the Military man invited him into the house and the Dad said something like "No you come outside so I can kick your ass."
Yes that sounds like something a drunk person might say or even a drunk bully. In fact he said the Dad actually encouraged him to skateboard on Military man's property, looking for a fight. But how that warranted lethal force is beyond me. Again I can't believe they didn't at least get Military man for manslaughter against the unarmed man. I guess FEMA man had money or strong connections, even a year later when Princess Leah just stood outside to visit the site.

[–] anthonynorris-783-181359 9 years ago

If the Dad's blood alcohol level was high, as another post in this thread says, that should have worked AGAINST the military guy, because it would mean the Dad wasn't in full control of his faculties. Therefore, military guy should've used MORE caution when dealing with him.

Most idiotic statement I have ever seen on IMDB and that is saying something.

Being drunk does not give you the right to go into someone's home and it definitely does not push the burden of putting up with your threats onto a sober person. It actually means that with less 'control of your faculties' the person you are dealing with has more to fear that you are going to overact and escalate the circumstances. This actually gives them more reason to fear a drunk and they can argue that they acted out of that fear.

[–] cmashieldscapting 9 years ago

Reminded me of this story of another unarmed drunk shot to death in someone's yard (not entering or trying to enter any home)! http://articles.latimes.com/1994-01-08/news/mn-9728_1_police-investigator These situations are hard to comprehend for people not from the United States. There was also a case of two teenagers who stopped to ask directions to a Halloween party in Louisiana. The homeowner came out with a gun and ordered the boys to freeze, which one did who was not shot. The other was a Japanese tourist who did not understand English, continued to move and so was shot to death. In the Houston case, the victim's mother said she learned the way things are done in Houston is "you never leave anyone alive who can sue."

In a case in Florida an object, which turned out to be a rock, was hurled against a home. The homeowner thought he was under attack, left his property and attacked the nearest car, which contained a group of teenagers who had thrown the rock, killing a 15-year-old boy. (I believe the boy had red hair and was named Danny Adams if anyone wants to look it up.) The homeowner expressed genuine remorse and was let completely off the hook, although no one entered his home or even went onto his property!

Certain places have a "make my day" law. That is, if anyone is on an owner's property uninvited and does not leave when told, the owner can shoot them just like that. Presumably the other person does not have to be armed or even warned before being shot. Unfair in many ways but it is the law in some places and this jury seems to have decided based on their understanding of such a law if indeed that place had one.

The neighbor did a terrible thing in making David (whose skateboard entered the property, supposedly accidentally) and Leah (who invited her friends over) feel terrible the rest of their lives for their parts in the death of Leah's father.

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[–] minkysmom82 9 years ago

Regardless if it was justified or not, it was so sick that the military man removed the ribbons and called the police on the little girl. At that point a man was dead, and it wasn't hurting anything, nor was it his property.

[–] rosemei 9 years ago

My first thought was military guy should put up one of those high privacy fences. It would keep the kids off his property, deflect any skateboards from landing in his flower bed and deaden the noise. The only disadvantage is he can't stand at his window and spy on the neighbors.

[–] WaningMoonMage 9 years ago

I kind of understood Bob in the beginning, being annoyed by the kids. Their parents could have easily had their kids skateboard somewhere else but it seemed like they were never really paying attention. If someone was yelling at my kids every day I would do something about it.
But shooting the neighbor in front of his kids was a cowardly bitch move and he should have been punished. He could have just hit the guy or called the cops like he always did. Not only that, but he has the audacity to remove the ribbon and call the cops when the girl was just sitting outside the house, as if they have no right to be sad about their father's death. I lost all respect for Bob after that because it shows what a miserable narcissistic coward he truly was.

[–] adouthit-1 9 years ago

Obviously he didn't deserve to die over it but him and the kids seem to not care at all about being respectful of the neighbors and their property and felt they could do whatever they wanted. I can see how it would really piss off the military man. The daughter still sounds like a spoiled brat.
I would think the military guy would have gotten some kind of punishment though. That doesn't seem right.

[–] WhateverLolaWantsLolaGets 9 years ago

Team Bob. I'm glad he walked. He didn't deserve manslaughter or anything else. If the circumstances were different, the neighbor would be called a "thug" and everyone would say he deserved it.

The dead guy's daughter had a poor attitude and I'm sure she's been like that since she was a kid. Duren Eldridge refused to respect Bob's property boundaries. He refused to speak to the kids about skateboarding in front of Bob's home and landing in his flower bed. Before the Eldridge family got there, no one ever had a problem with Bob Lorenz and they considered him to be a good neighbor. The Eldridge family was from liberal California (we all know Californians ruin every place they move to-ask anyone) and they did not respect the property boundaries of conservative Virginia. I understand why Bob was pissed off. Duren had no right to follow Bob back to his house. He had no right to pound on the door. He had no right to try and gain entry into Bob's home. Leah's description of Leeburg Virginia couldn't be further from the truth. It's right wing but not even close to being "rednecky." Leesburg is very affluent, in one of the most affluent counties in the country- Loudoun County. In fact, Leah looked more like a burned out druggie California redneck. They obviously didn't fit into the neighborhood. Problem number one: there is a lot of classicism in Virginia. Wealthy white collar people do not want blue collar renters in their neighborhoods. Problem two- White collar and blue collar people always have different value systems. Bob and Duren proved this to be true but I've seen it many times. Duren should've kept his drunk ass in his yard and talked to Bob when he was sober. He and his family paid the ultimate price. At least Leah admitted her dad's culpability in his own murder when she said their disagreements should've been handled differently. The Princess Leah promotion at the end was unnecessary and made it seem like she was exploiting her "beloved father's" death to promote her "career".

I survived because I was tougher than anybody else.- Bette Davis

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