Indiana Homeowner Curt Douglas Andersen Charged With Voluntary Manslaughter in Fatal Shooting of Cleaning Worker Maria Florinda Ríos Pérez de Velásquez

Authorities in Indiana have charged Curt Douglas Andersen, a 62-year-old homeowner from Whitestown, with voluntary manslaughter after he fatally shot Maria Florinda Ríos Pérez de Velásquez, a cleaning worker and mother of four who mistakenly went to the wrong home while attempting to begin her shift. Prosecutors announced the charge Monday, nearly two weeks after the Nov. 5 shooting.

Andersen was booked into the Boone County Jail on a no-bond hold and is expected to appear in court later this week. Boone County Prosecutor Kent Eastwood said the charge was filed after a “comprehensive examination” of the case and a determination that Andersen’s actions were not protected under Indiana’s Stand Your Ground law.

Indiana’s stand-your-ground statute allows homeowners to use deadly force if they reasonably believe someone is unlawfully entering their dwelling. But investigators say evidence shows Ríos never made it inside the residence. Instead, she and her husband inadvertently arrived at the wrong address while attempting to unlock what they believed was their scheduled client’s home.

Maria Florinda Ríos Pérez de Velásquez

Eastwood said Andersen did not have a reasonable belief that deadly force was necessary based on the facts available to him at the time. “We cannot allow emotion to guide our decisions,” the prosecutor said. “Our duty is to examine the facts and apply the law fairly and equally.”

The shooting occurred around 6:55 a.m. in a Whitestown subdivision northwest of Indianapolis. Police responding to a 911 call about a possible home invasion found Ríos dead on the front porch with a gunshot wound to the head. According to a probable cause affidavit, the shot was fired from inside the house, and officers observed a bullet hole in the front door.

Investigators later learned that Ríos, 32, and her husband, Mauricio Pérez-Velásquez, had been working as a contracted cleaning team and had accidentally gone to the wrong home. Police reported that “the facts gathered do not support that a home invasion occurred.”

According to the affidavit, Andersen told officers he awoke to a “commotion” at his front door and believed someone was trying to break in. He said he saw two people outside and thought they were “thrusting” at the door, prompting him to retrieve his firearm and fire a single shot through the closed door.

Indiana Homeowner Curt Douglas Andersen Charged With Voluntary Manslaughter in Fatal Shooting of Cleaning Worker Maria Florinda Ríos Pérez de Velásquez

Mauricio Pérez-Velásquez, who was standing beside his wife when she was struck, told police they tried to open the door using keys from their cleaning company—still unaware they had the wrong house. He said they were at the door for 30 to 60 seconds but never heard warning commands, voices, or movement from inside the home. They did not knock, bang, or apply force to enter, he said.

Speaking to WRTV, the grieving husband described the moment the shot was fired: “I never thought it was a shot, but when my wife took two steps back, I saw she’d been hit. She fell into my arms, and the blood went everywhere.” The couple’s four children, the youngest just 11 months old, are now without their mother.

Andersen’s attorney, Guy Relford, a Second Amendment lawyer, responded to the charge with disappointment, insisting Andersen’s actions were justified under Indiana’s “castle doctrine” and that the situation must be judged from Andersen’s perspective in the moment—not through hindsight. “We believe Mr. Andersen had every reason to believe his actions were necessary and justified,” Relford said.

The victim’s family, represented by attorney Alex Limontes, called the prosecutor’s decision an important step toward “accountability, truth and justice.” Limontes emphasized that Ríos was simply arriving to work and “never made it inside the house,” yet was killed through a closed door.

 

Legal experts say the facts outlined in the probable cause affidavit do not satisfy the requirements of stand-your-ground protections. Indiana University law professor Jody Madeira, who specializes in gun rights, noted that members of the public—including delivery drivers, cleaners, and mail carriers—are legally allowed to approach a front porch unless they are told to leave. She added that inserting a key or rattling a doorknob does not constitute unlawful or forced entry under the law.

“The reasonable person says, ‘I have my phone. I can shout a warning,’” Madeira explained. “He jumped up from bed and immediately went into combat mode.”

The case continues to unfold as prosecutors prepare to argue that Andersen could not have reasonably believed deadly force was required. The victim’s family says they will pursue justice to ensure no other family faces a similar tragedy.

Curt Douglas Anderson killed Maria a cleaning lady who was given the wrong address! She went to work with her husband & as she’s trying to open the door you can hear the gun shot ring out! Her husband was behind her & caught her in his arms,but unfortunately she passed away.🤬 pic.twitter.com/wJro9IelkU

— Suzie rizzio (@Suzierizzo1) November 17, 2025