Apr. 30, 2024 4:10p
(WGTD)---A murder charge against a Racine man was dropped this week because the shooting death was a clear-cut case of self-defense, according to the attorneys who handled the matter.
38-year-old Ronny Hanson was charged last fall with 1st Degree Intentional Homicide and had been sitting in jail ever since. Hanson fatally shot his bother-in-law twice in the stomach in a dispute stemming from a probate matter involving a house.
At the time, Hanson told investigators that his brother-in-law had gotten on top of him in a fight and wouldn't let go. Hanson said he couldn't breathe and had no choice but to fire his gun.
After a thorough examination of the evidence, District Attorney Patricia Hanson authorized a recommendation that the charge be dismissed. Racine Judge Timothy Boyle on Monday complied and Hanson was released from custody.
In a memorandum to her boss, Assistant District Attorney Brooke Erickson, who handled the case, noted that the victim had the defendant in a headlock, was drunk and was a lot larger than the defendant. "There was nothing Ronny could have done differently here, other than let himself be choked, which is unreasonable," Erickson wrote.
The lone witness corroborated Hanson's story, according to Erickson. Also, the result of the autopsy aligned with what Hanson had told investigators.
Hanson was represented by Atty. Pat Cafferty. In an email to WGTD, Cafferty said the Castle Doctrine applied in this case---that people are within their rights to use reasonable force to protect themselves from an intruder.
Hanson was to have gone on trial next month.
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