A 32-year-old Indiana mother of four was fatally shot Wednesday morning after arriving at the wrong address for a cleaning job, while her husband watched in horror.
According to the New York Post, Maria Florinda Ríos Pérez and her husband, Mauricio Velázquez, arrived at a Whitestown home just before 7 a.m. They had been hired to clean the house and had double-checked the address, even circling the neighborhood to ensure they were in the right place.
“As they tried to get the keys they’d been provided into the door of the stately home — and Pérez teased her fumbling husband and grabbed the keyring from him — a single shot rang out, and the mother dropped bleeding to the ground,” IndyStar reported.
“She didn’t even put the key in when I heard the shot happen,” Velázquez told IndyStar. “I saw my wife had stepped back twice, and then the keys dropped. Then she dropped, and I went to catch her. I was trying to console her and tell her everything was going to be OK, but I was seeing the blood coming out.”
A 911 call reporting a home invasion came in around the same time. Whitestown Metropolitan Police found the couple on the porch, and despite attempts to save her, Pérez was pronounced dead at the scene.
“Just pray for my family,” Velázquez said, referring to their four children, one of whom is not yet 1 year old. “Raising them isn’t going to be easy.”
Police confirmed the couple had been trying to enter a home they were hired to clean and were not breaking in. “The facts gathered do not support that a residential entry occurred,” Whitestown Police said. “The loss of life is always a profound tragedy, and our hearts and prayers go out to all those affected.”
No arrests have been made as the investigation continues. Indiana’s strong “stand your ground” laws allow homeowners to use deadly force to protect themselves and their property.
Boone County Prosecutor Kent Eastwood explained, “When it comes to a dwelling, individuals can use reasonable force, including deadly force, against another person. They have no duty to retreat… that person who uses that force has to reasonably believe that the force is necessary to prevent or terminate an awful entry or attack on the person’s dwelling.”
Despite the legal context, Velázquez said he is seeking justice for his wife. “For me, she was the love of my life,” he said. “She was a good wife and a good mother.”
The victim leaves behind three daughters, ages 17, 10 and 8, and an almost 1-year-old son. Velázquez is arranging to return his wife’s body to their hometown in Guatemala.
