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Subscribe to RSSA Connecticut father who fatally shot what he thought was a masked prowler outside his home only to discover it was his 15-year-old boy is “in a state of anguish,” his lawyer said on Monday.
“It is a very emotional time,” attorney Gene Zingaro told NBC News. “The family is left asking so many questions that will go unanswered forever. There will never be a satisfactory answer. The father and the whole family are utterly devastated. The father is in a state of anguish.”
"The family has been broken in half by this tragedy,” Zingaro said.
Zingaro said he spent time with the Giuliano family Sunday during a memorial service for Terry Giuliano, who was shot to death Thursday outside his family’s house in New Fairfield, a town just north of Danbury.
Zingaro said details of the evening have left Terry’s father, Jeffrey Giuliano, inconsolable and physically ill.
Jeffrey Giuliano went outside with a gun around 1 a.m. after his sister called him to say someone was trying to break into her house next door. When he went outside, Giuliano saw a knife-wielding man wearing a black ski mask. The masked figure approached him in a threatening manner, police said. Giulano fired a single shot, killing the purported prowler.
It was only hours later that Jeffrey Giuliano learned that the slain suspect was his adopted son, causing him to weep and vomit at the scene.
"He was in disbelief and a state of shock," Zingaro told NBC News.
Zingaro said Jeffrey Giuliano, a popular fifth-grade elementary teacher, will not face criminal charges.
“It is my belief that it will be termed an accidental shooting, and he will not face charges,” Zingaro said.
State police say they are continuing to investigate. No charges have been filed.
Zingaro said Giuliano and his wife adopted Tyler and his sister about four years ago.
"It's a tragic loss that cannot be measured,” Zingaro said.
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Leave a Comment:
maybe next time call the police instead of your vigilante-wannabe brother? seriously. who calls their brother instead of the police when you think someone is breaking into your house?
Agree! Just what I want to do is to put my brother in danger! The whole situation is too weird! His adopted son is masked with a knife lurking around at 1:00 A.M.?
This family has serious problems!
It's idiots like this, who shoot first and ask questions later, that should not own guns. Unfortunately it is impossible to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and/or morons who shoot their own kids. It's just how we roll in the USA. With all the freedoms and liberties we have, we simply will be unable to protect one another from the careless, and often, lethal actions of morons and criminals.
However, living with all the freedoms and liberties is vastly preferable to the alternative. Of course, some people don't believe that is true.....Just read some of the posts.
I agree with Jeff
Too many differences from the original story Like multiple shots fired NOW it was a single gunshot that killed him.
Aunts story differs now
Father saw shiny object now without a dought it was a knife
Can you say CT coverup cause I can.....Well to do teacher verses 15 yr.old. foster child sorry young man your just not as viable as the man who adopted you 4 years ago.
NO MENTION of his foster Mom what the heck was she doing?
COVER-UP
I am not against people having guns - I am against irresponsible people having guns. If one has a gun they should only use it in imminent danger to yourself or your family. To me, that means someone is breaking into your home or has broken in your home.
If they are lurking outside, call the police! I may have the gun with me and ready, but hopefully, I won't need to use it!
This family has serious problems! Sister calls her brother and not police. 15 year old adopted son is lurking around the houses at 1:00 A.M., masked, with a knife? Not your usual teenage prank, I must admit. Kid lunges at dad with the knife instead of saying "Dad, it's me!" Father shoots to kill intruder. Wow! Gives family a whole new meaning, doesn't it?
In the original story 3 to 5 days ago it said she called 911 after she hung up with brother. At this point we either believe the ADOPTIVE FATHER or not I am leaning towards NOT because it was reported so differently just a few days ago. Too many inconsistancies and the boy is adopted My mom had a favorite and their are 6 of us we were her birth children, plus he was a good kid absolutely NO trouble with the law in the past just doesn't seem like it was in his character to act as the father has described and since law enforcement has already said no charges will be filed I guess the guy has the town wired because anywhere else they still would be holding us in an interigation room waiting for a confession.
Whatever actually happened, this is a family in trouble. Like I said, "gives family a whole new meaning!"
Know the facts, this is not the first child to die at this man's hand. There's plenty of stories to tell kinnaman53@gmail.com
Really who else did he kill?
Him and his wife had a foster child in their care a few years ago who died in their care.
The truth will come out soon.
TD
kinnaman53@gmail.com
AllPeopleRights, why pass judgment on the family at this point? What if the reality ends up being that this 15 year old was disturbed and intended to murder his family? What if said family had done everything they could for him? What if the sad thing ends up being that this man forever feels guilty, when really he saved his family? I think it's very unfair to judge the family in general, or this father specifically. I can tell you that if I had a gun and my sister had called me and told me someone was trying to break into my house, and I went outside (with my gun, because it would be pretty stupid not to take it), and a masked person with a knife was coming towards me, I would shoot. If I were the masked person with a knife and I saw my dad with a gun, I would immediately remove my mask and drop my knife or expect that I would be shot!
lil anomie - I have said that in earlier posts. If this is what happened, the kid was in serious trouble. If the story is not true, the father is in serious trouble. The whole thing is weird. Whoever was the true culprit, I stand by what I said, "Gives family a whole new meaning." That isn't judgment, that is just facts!
In that case, I would argue that it's not a new meaning at all...
I said it from the start that there is something very fishy about this. Everyone just assumed the father is telling the truth. IMHO the father is lying his ass off to cover up something. The state should immediately take the sister out of the house for her protection. I would not be surprised if the dad is molesting them and killed the kid to cover it up. The dad already have a lawyer speaking for him speaks volumn. The story is also changing speaks volumn too.
Um, the sister lives next door. She is the sister of the father. Also I suspect police can tell pretty quickly if the knife was planted or not. It may seem like a good move but I suspect planting a weapon is almost sure to backfire.
I am not taking about the shooter's sister but the minor sister of the kid he killed. Tyler and his sister were adopted by the shooter and his wife four years ago.
We don't know all the circumstances, so to past judgement or try to rationalize this incident is pointless. The history of the family dynamics come into play. But yes this is the contradictions of arming a society to handle any immediate or perceived deadly threat. Shoot first then find out the facts later. The one question to be ask is:
Where was the son when the father confronted him? at his sister's door? backyard? by the bushes?
Another important question will be answer after the autopsy:
Was he under the influence of something? my guess is he was.
So until more facts are revealed... we must be patient to past any judgement.
I can't quite put my finger on it, but something in this story just doesn't add up. I hope the police do a thorough investigation and take a real close look at Dad.
Honestly, i think the reason you can't put your finger on it is because there's nothing to put your finger on. I think it adds up to one of two things: A horrible accident caused by an extremely unfortunate misunderstanding stemming from teenage idiocy, or this 15 year old was out to do harm to his family. I'm sure they will investigate thoroughly, but there's nothing in the story that leads me to believe there's any sort of conspiracy or intent by the father to deliberately kill his child.
Facts: kid wasn't an intruder, the shooting happened outdoors. Go ask Zimmerman in Florida if he thinks packing was a great idea...
Brother protector here was a fifth grade school teacher, not a trained police officer who has the benefit of instruction for handling these incidents. Go ask Dad here if he still thinks packing was a good idea...
Bad things happen to good people, that's just life. "Guns and religion" aren't going to help you, they just make it worse. Lots of facts in history support both those conclusions.
For those of you arguing you need guns to protect your family, your property, etc, the research data over the past 30+ years strongly argues against. Having that CCW and your loaded .45 handy dramatically increases the probabilty you will either shoot yourself (suicide, accidental death), shoot a loved one (crime of passion, arguments most likely) or be involved in some other "accidental" shooting. Fact. Oh right, but not you, you are far to a) smart b) prepared c) trained. Go as Zimmerman and Dad here how well prepared they felt.
You are not Wyatt Earp, Dirty Harry or even Yosemite Sam. Long as you face up to the fact you are putting yourself, your loved ones and your neighbors in harm's way, I have no problem with you loudly enjoying your 2nd ammendment right. Thank God I don't live next to you.
This poor man and his family now have to live the rest of their lives knowing their terrible judgement has led to the death of a misguided teenager. Teens aren't supposed to be able to fully appreciate the consequences of their dumb actions - again, research, look it up. Teenager brain's aren't fully developed in the cerebral cortex, not until 21 or so, varies by individual. The adults here had the responsibility to react appropriately and instead, by going all vigilante on the kid, now are the ones paying the price.
This is sad but then it makes you think...So he thought it was ok to shoot and kill someone who is obviously someone else's son but then he found out it was his son so now its horrible smh. If you wouldn't want your son gunned down why would you shoot someone else's? Especially when your life isn't threatened.
Clack12,
The "story" at present is that the would be intruder, masked, dressed in black, in the middle of the night, with a knife, approached Mr. Giuliano in a threatening manner. Under these circumstances it is prudent to shoot to defend oneself. Since everyone is someone's son or daughter, your point seems a bit blunt.
If you mean to point out that for most people, shooting another human being, even in cases of clear cut self-defense, is traumatic, I'd agree. If further, you want to call attention to the subsequent discovery that the armed, would be intruder was someone close to you, and how that would compound the tradgedy, I'd agree to that too.
Ultimately, when we chose to defend ourselves against an attacker, we're fighting with someone's son or daughter. Test tube babies are not yet a reality.
Daddy likes to play with guns and for some reason only his "non" biological children somehow die.
TK
kinnaman53@gmail.com
Clack, you are an idiot. If someone came towards you with a knife you'd do the same thing. All that boy had to do was say "Hey, Dad!" Or take his mask off. He chose to approach someone wielding a gun while he was dressed as an armed intruder. Sorry...but if I have to choose between some jacka$$ who has a weapon and probably intends to harm me, I'm going to shoot first and ask questions later. If I have a split second to defend myself, that's exactly what I'm going to do. You need to wake up and find your brain cells because they are obviously escaping somehow.
My prayers go out to the father and his family. What the heck was his son doing out at 1 am in the morning with a mask over his face and wielding a knife? If it wasn't the father who killed him it would have been the cops. The son was acting irrational. Guns belong in the hands of law enforcement. I am not a gun supporter.
Oh, you mean like the Houston police officer who shot and killed a one-armed, one-legged man in a wheelchair because he was armed with....a PEN?
Sometimes I visit friends that live in areas that may be questionable. I have owned guns and have nothing against them. Unlike most of you, which I can tell by your post (all these hypothetical situation..got to LOL at you tough guys), I have been around guns, criminals, precarious situation, etc . When you are armed your reactions and judgment changes vs. when you are unarmed, I’ve been there. People tend to avoid or deescalate situation verses turning into Rambo and proceed to save everybody from the big bad boogie men out there. Everybody has the right, but that doesn’t mean they are mentally fit to carry a weapon. Just Saying..
So glad all these gun-toters are in the US and not here - do you ever ask yourselves why the murder rate, and the accidental death rate using guns is so much higher in the US than in other countries? Could it be the gun culture? The only accidental gun death in which I personally knew the victim was a 14 year old Australian boy living in the US who was accidentally shot by his American friend while they were playing with (the American) Daddy's guns. Doesn't happen nearly as often here, we just don't carry guns or have them in the house waiting for the very rare home-invasion. Reduce the number of guns and you'll reduce the number of deaths. Gun culture = gun deaths.
Ozzie Girl,
If you restrict your argument to gun crime, you are correct. There are far less in Australia than in the United States.
However, the argument is a bit like saying if you have a swimming pool at your home, you are more likely to drown in a swimming pool than someone who does not have a swimming pool at their home.
A more logical construct is to compare overall crime rates. Include personal and property crimes...the whole gamut of criminal activity. It's a mixed bag when you compare Australia to the United States. Look here: http://www.nationmaster.com/compare/Australia/United-States/Crime
Personally, I'll keep my guns and depend on myself for defense against attack rather than wait for police to arrive. If you prefer to depend on the police, that's your perogative. You stay in Australia where things suit you. I'll stay in the United States where things suit me. Seems like a good solution.
great statistics, hmdicowii, thank you! The firearms murder rate in the US is 158 times the rate in Australia! And Australia's assault rate is higher than the US, but as pointed out, this could be a willingness to report rather than an actual rate. And an assault doesn't leave you dead, a murder does. Looking at those stats, the US ones are rather shameful. Yes, I'll be staying home, for many reasons .....
I hope that man can eventually stop beating himself over this. This was a crazy and tragic situation, and any thinking human would have done the very same thing as him. Why would he have any reason to suspect that it would be his son outside with a weapon, dressed like a burglar. The kid made a bad, stupid choice. Who knows if he was playing a joke, or if he had bad intentions. We may never know, but that kid is ultimately responsible for what happened. Sometimes kids do stupid things...and it just sucks when a situation goes this wrong. GOD BLESS the father of this boy. May He comfort you and keep you. Bless your heart.
Amen.
This still stinks. According to every story I read this weekend, the child died of multiple gunshot wounds. At least one neighbor reported hearing nine shots. Now, the story is that the killer fired a single shot. Original reports said the sister heard something and called her brother to say she thought someone might try to break in. Now, he WAS trying to break in. Original reports stated the shooter found the kid on the perimeter of the property - and these are big yards; look at the photos. If he's on the perimeter he's kinda far away to be trying to break in. This smells of a small-town whitewash job.
This whole thing sux- I feel bad for the man- he thought he was defending himself and protecting his sister as well. WTF was that boy doing??? I too am a gun toting woman and will defend myself any way I need to. I would have shot him in the knees- both knees- that way I know he would be unable to get to me with his knife and then called 911. I could only imagine what that man is going through. Everyone wants to bash him because he shot someone that came at him in a threatening manner- pi$$ on them- I hate it ended the way it did but the boy should not have been out at that time of night-dressed as he was-and flashing a weapon. I really hope the boy had his heart right with the Lord!!! The dad needs to get some help to get him through this... I couldn't imagine what he is going through. Until the whole story is told- give the man some credit... he thought he was protecting his family! Good luck sir- hope you get help and get through this - it will be hard for you- but you can do it... As for the boy, bless his heart- may he rest in peace.
The father killed his son, one he chose to love and adopt, and call his own. Of course he's in true anguish.
All of the above "lefties", "righties", "gun-lovers", "gun-haters", "outies", "innies" - whatever... put yourselves in the place of a parent who killed their child. Anyone who says they wouldn't feel true anguish is either a liar or heartless. Reading the filth some people have spewed... ah, forget it - it just foesn't matter.