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17-Year-Old Burglar Killed In House By Homeowner

Posted: 5:59 am EDT October 14, 2009Updated: 11:02 pm EDT October 14, 2009

An Orange County man caught two burglars breaking into his house, so he pulled out his gun and shot them both Tuesday night. One of the burglars was killed and the other is in critical condition.

The deceased burglar was identified as 17-year-old Brandon Martinez.

Deputies say the owner of the house on Rubens Court (see map) won't be arrested. They say he did nothing wrong.


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The homeowner, along with his brother and son, had just gotten home from work when he confronted the burglars Tuesday night. They had already ransacked his house and even tried to get into a safe. Anthony Julien, 50, insists he had no choice but to take action.

“The way I look at it is like they invade my privacy and I was scared when I come in, so I defended, you know, my property,” he said (watch interview).

Julien took Eyewitness News step-by-step on what happened when he confronted the two burglars in his house.

“I come in. I look to my left, one this way, one here. I had my gun like this and he was there, so I come in like that. When I come in, he run this way and he point his gun at me, then I go down and I 'pow,'" Julien described. “I keep on walking to him, walking to him, walking to him, he get up and I 'pow’ and I leave him."

Julien then focused on a second man in another bedroom.

“He run up from here, coming out to me, when come out, ’Pow!’ He fell to the ground there,” Julien said.

When Julien went outside to call 911, somehow one of the suspects was able to run away, but he didn't get far. Jonathan Rodriguez, 25, collapsed in the driveway of a home one street behind Julien's house.

Rodriguez was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center and was treated for at least one gunshot wound. It doesn't appear that Martinez or Rodriguez had serious criminal records.

Anthony Julien drives an ice cream truck for a living and says he's always keeps a gun with him for protection.

Two Florida laws make it legal for a homeowner to shoot intruders. The first is called the "Castle Doctrine," which allows people to defend their families in their own homes. The second is part of the "Stand your ground" law, which was passed in 2005 and allows any citizen to use deadly force when they see a violent felony being committed.

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