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Chiappa Triple Threat<\/a><\/p>\n Teen who shot, killed man in Palm Beach County wins \u2018Stand Your Ground\u2019 defense<\/strong><\/p>\n By Meghan McRoberts Now, the teen is free of criminal charges following a rare “Stand Your Ground” ruling.<\/p>\n The case hinged on the key questions: Where exactly did the shooting occur? Could Resendizgama have retreated, or was shooting his only option to survive?<\/p>\n Teen who shot, killed man in Palm Beach County wins \u2018Stand Your Ground\u2019 defense<\/p>\n A judge ruled in favor of the defense but noted the case is troubling and largely speculative. The state, the judge said, failed to prove Resendizgama wasn\u2019t acting in self-defense. There was no surveillance video or reliable eyewitnesses.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen there\u2019s no witnesses, the state has the burden of proof in any case,\u201d said Resendizgama\u2019s attorney, Alan Saladrigas.<\/p>\n On March 31, 2023, Resendizgama and Difonzo met at the Meadowbrook Mobile Home Community. Phone records showed they spoke about an hour before the meeting \u2014 a detail Saladrigas said suggests a planned encounter. Resendizgama entered the passenger seat of Difonzo\u2019s Chevy Tahoe.<\/p>\n Under Florida law, Stand Your Ground can apply if the person has permission to be where the shooting happened \u2014 even if it\u2019s not their property.<\/p>\n At some point in the SUV, a fight broke out. Luis was left bloodied, and signs of strangulation were evident. Saladrigas said his client’s blood was found on Difonzo\u2019s knuckle and inside the car.<\/p>\n Saladrigas argued that Luis possibly grabbed Difonzo’s gun attached to a magnet under the steering wheel and shot Difonzo while both were still inside.<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Resendizgama fired in self-defense from inside the vehicle, while in Mr. Difonzo\u2019s grasp and on the receiving end of a physical beating,” Saladrigas wrote in court filings.<\/p>\n Saladrigas also said a medical examiner confirmed the shooting likely occurred at close range, between six inches and two feet. Resendizgama fled and was arrested weeks later.<\/p>\n At his home, detectives found a handwritten note describing the encounter. In it, Resendizgama wrote he was scared for his life and didn\u2019t think he\u2019d see his family again.<\/p>\n Saladrigas pointed to physical evidence suggesting the shooting happened inside the SUV \u2014 including shell casings found inside the vehicle.<\/p>\n The state challenged the handwritten note, citing inconsistencies, including the wrong date of the shooting.<\/p>\n Difonzo had a violent history. In 2018, he won his own Stand Your Ground case after fatally punching someone outside a Lake Worth bar \u2014 a fact Saladrigas said was relevant to Resendizgama\u2019s fear.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nLuis Resendizgama was 16 when Palm Beach County Sheriff\u2019s Office investigators say he shot and killed 33-year-old William Difonzo Jr.<\/p>\n