No Charges for Man Who Killed 3 Teen Burglars

Alleged getaway driver pleads not guilty to murder
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 5, 2017 1:21 AM CDT
Man Who Killed 3 Teen Burglars Won't Be Charged
Elizabeth Marie Rodriguez   (Wagoner County Sheriff's Office via AP, File)

The 23-year-old man who shot three teenage burglars dead last week "acted in accordance with his rights as an Oklahoma citizen" and will not face criminal charges, authorities announced this week. Zach Peters, 23, opened fire with an AR-15 assault rifle when Jaykob Woodruff, 16, Jacob Redfearn, 17, and Maxwell Cook, 19, broke into his home, killing all three. District Attorney Brian Kuester says investigators have determined that Peters, who lived with his father but was the only one home at the time, was "in fear for his life" when he shot the intruders, who were dressed all in black and wearing masks, reports the Tulsa World. One intruder had a knife and another had brass knuckles, police say.

Minutes after the shooting in Broken Arrow last Monday, Peters called 911 and asked for medical help for the intruders. Alleged getaway driver Elizabeth Marie Rodriguez, 21, told reporters last week that she doesn't blame Peters for the deaths. Rodriguez, who surrendered to authorities hours after her three accomplices were killed, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to three counts of first-degree murder, KJRH reports. Rodriguez, who was Cook's girlfriend, argues that she is only guilty of burglary, but authorities say she has been charged with murder because the teens were killed while she was committing a felony. (More Oklahoma stories.)

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