IRAQ MARINE VET GETS TWO YEARS IN PRISON FOR KILLING INTRUDER

Elton John Richard, 30, was a decorated Marine who had fought in both Iraq wars and had been part of the 2003 rescue of Army Pvt. Jessica Lynch, but a district judge in Albuquerque sentenced the hero to two years in prison after he was found guilty of second degree manslaughter of killing an intruder who broke into his garage and then fled.

Richard was also ordered to pay restitution of $500 a month for the next four years.

Richard chased Daniel Romero, the intruder, and kept telling him to get down on the ground.

Richard, speaking publicly about the ordeal for the first time, said that Romero grabbed his gun and kept telling Richard that his friends were coming.

“The safety and security of myself, my son and my wife was compromised,” Richard said. “I didn’t have time to armchair quarterback it.”

Former Marine sentenced for killing intruder

The Associated PressPosted : Sunday Feb 24, 2008 9:09:58 EST

http://tinyurl.com/368tpx

ALBUQUERQUE — A district judge has sentenced a former Marine to two years in prison for fatally shooting an intruder who broke into his home and then fled.

Elton John Richard, 30, was a decorated Marine who had fought in both Iraq wars and had been part of the 2003 rescue of Army Pvt. Jessica Lynch. He had pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter after being charged with second-degree murder.

State District Judge Pat Murdoch also ordered Richard to pay restitution of $500 a month for four years.

Daniel Romero, 34, broke in to Richard’s garage in December 2004.

Richard, a Department of Energy nuclear materials courier with top security clearance, found Romero in his garage and chased him a quarter mile from his property before shooting him as he tried to climb a fence.

During the chase, Richard yelled at Romero to get on the ground and for neighbors to call 911, court documents said.

Prosecutor Theresa Whatley said all Romero did was try to get away.

“He should have been arrested and should have not been killed,” she said.

Richard, speaking publicly about the ordeal for the first time, said that Romero grabbed his gun and kept telling Richard that his friends were coming.

“The safety and security of myself, my son and my wife was compromised,” Richard said. “I didn’t have time to armchair quarterback it.”