He Thought It Was a Burglary – Now He's
Facing a Murder Charge
Townhall,
by
Jeff Charles
Original Article
Posted By: ladydawgfan,
5/9/2025 2:20:39 PM
Police arrested a Pennsylvania man for allegedly fatally shooting a teenager during a reported burglary that is believed to have been part of a TikTok prank.
The Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) arrested Tyler Chase Butler, 27, earlier this week. The suspect is being charged with 2nd degree murder, malicious wounding, and two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, according to ABC 7.
Butler is being held without bail. [Tweet]
Michael Bosworth Jr., an 18-year-old senior at Massaponax High School, was gunned down after Butler believed he was trying to break into his home. He was hit in the torso.
Post Reply
Reminder: “WE ARE A SALON AND NOT A SALOON”
Your thoughts, comments, and ideas are always welcome here. But we ask you to please be mindful and respectful. Threatening or crude language doesn't persuade anybody and makes the conversation less enjoyable for fellow L.Dotters.
Reply 1 - Posted by:
volksford 5/9/2025 2:36:00 PM (No. 1947615)
The police at first suspected a burglary until they later confirmed it was a prank gone awry. If the police at first suspected burglary common sense...... so would the homeowner ! Three AM ..Hell yea
38 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
Strike3 5/9/2025 2:54:11 PM (No. 1947626)
First rule of home defense, always wait until the innocent little b***ards are inside your home before opening fire. You may get blood on the rug but that's about it.
26 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
DVC 5/9/2025 3:07:27 PM (No. 1947631)
OP is confused about the law. "Castle doctrine" applies INSIDE your castle and even then there should be some reasonable threat. You MIGHT get away with shooting an unknown intruder INSIDE your home at 3 AM but it is harder to justify "I was in fear of my life" when the 'attackers' are outside, and have only made noises.
Stupid move by the homeowner, and most places this is going to be charged at manslaughter or murder.
Read the laws on self defense. And understand what "castle doctrine" and "stand your ground" actually mean.
A great resource is "Armed Attorneys" on Youtube put up by actual attorneys who defend self defense cases in Texas on a regular basis. They give excellent advise on what you CAN and cannot do if you intend to invoke "self defense".
12 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
LC Chihuahua 5/9/2025 3:28:10 PM (No. 1947638)
They say it was a prank. How do you know that?
One of my hands would be reaching for my phone, the other for a weapon, and my feet would be taking me to a defensive (where I would see them before they see me) position in case the invaders were armed.
16 people like this.
Geez. This did not happen in Pennsylvania. Spotsylvania is in Virginia, for cryin' out loud.
That said, the home owner messed up, big time and, legally speaking, is probably toast.
9 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
BarryNo 5/9/2025 4:39:04 PM (No. 1947667)
Check the door for footprints or damage. If these teens kicked the door, then the homeowner was entirely justified. We don't really know, expect by their testimony, that they were playing a game. They might have been calling breaking and entering, "Ding, doing, ditch" as a joke between themselves.
At the very least they were trespassing and the homeowner did not know who they were.
If it were my back door being violently assaulted, I might shoot through the door. Why give assailents a clear field of fire at you?
Now, if he went out looking for them, it might be a different matter.
8 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
earlybird 5/9/2025 5:15:02 PM (No. 1947685)
Three young black men at 3:00 AM? Castle protection.
Although this was said to be a TikTok prank being videoed there was no evidence its was being videoed. Neighbors said similar burglaries in the neighborhood had been done this way.
8 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
mc squared 5/9/2025 5:17:57 PM (No. 1947688)
If my bro was shot by a homeowner at 3AM, I'd say it was a prank, too.
7 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
nerdowell 5/9/2025 5:43:02 PM (No. 1947703)
The threshold is the hard line. They've got to be inside before you can shoot. Anybody who did this in the past has gone to jail. People say they heard 8 shots; he was shooting while they were running. His goose is cooked & I'm finding it difficult to feel sympathetic. If you buy a complicated piece of equipment, you best read the owner's manual, know what I mean?
4 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
JackBurton 5/9/2025 5:53:59 PM (No. 1947707)
Next purchase: Byrna Launcher.
4 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
jalo1951 5/9/2025 5:55:55 PM (No. 1947708)
I have been the victim of a similar incident. It was on tictoc. You run up to someone's house and just on the front door hoping to push it in. We have double doors and the punks just couldn't help themselves. Our door was kicked at a dozen times. They kicked the door off the frame, warped the door, and eventually broke the door handle and lock. And that doesn't count the times that no major damage was done. It was a loud boom and shook the house. We are talking about big teenage boys. It petrified our cats and scared the crap out of us. Authorities were not able to help and insurance did not cover the damage. We eventually installed a camera. We are in our 70's and this was not easy to deal with. If I had had a gun I would have used it. Yes, it sounded like someone was breaking the door down to try to get in. In my state shooting them would have been allowed.
15 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
Corndoggies 5/9/2025 7:39:03 PM (No. 1947738)
I could be wrong by I think the “pranksters” were white and the homeowner is black. And I’m on the home owners side. No 18 yo plays that game in a backyard and at 3 am. This is clearly a FAFO moment for those kids.
14 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
chumley 5/9/2025 7:56:52 PM (No. 1947743)
You'd think an American kid would have more sense than this. You could get shot.
I recall a foreign kid getting nailed the same way doing a Halloween prank some years ago. His home country didnt have anything nice to say about us.
Based on what little info we have here, I'm leaning toward the homeowner. Not based on any knowledge of the law (I have none), but just based on what seems right.
9 people like this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
gam 5/9/2025 8:07:34 PM (No. 1947745)
I live a few miles from this incident. The shooter is black, the 18 year old was white. One wonders where these boys' parents think they were at 3AM. IF it was a prank, it certainly was a stupid one. One wonders if it wasn't something else entirely.......
14 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
Birddog 5/9/2025 8:21:45 PM (No. 1947748)
two key issues....."3AM" and "Back Door". NOBODY who does not live in my house has ANY lawful/legal/legitimate Business in my backyard at 3am., they were up to "No good" and nothing good was ever going to come from it. My yard is fenced, if you came through a fence you "Broke and entered". I'm pretty sure I would INSIST upon a Jury Trial.Most people are "Reasonable" and will understand the "Reasons" someone might conclude...based upon boots kicking on their back door at 3am...."somebody gonna get shot right here...Me? or Them? That is enough to acquit.
15 people like this.
Reply 16 - Posted by:
WV.Hillbilly 5/9/2025 9:43:27 PM (No. 1947760)
It's gone from kids ringing peoples' doorbells to adults pounding on or kicking peoples doors. That's a whole different level. FAFO.
9 people like this.
Reply 17 - Posted by:
5 handicap 5/10/2025 6:07:18 AM (No. 1947831)
FAFO... People who play with fire sometimes get burned...Don't blame the fire! A man has the right and DUTY to protect his home and family!
5 people like this.
I hope we all realize that if the democrats had their way in getting our guns, we would all be up and down all night with a bat, because home invasions would be rampant.
5 people like this.
Below, you will find ...
Most Recent Articles posted by "ladydawgfan"
and
Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)
Comments:
Castle doctrine needs to go nationwide!! He thought that his door was being kicked down in the middle of the night. What if it WASN’T "just a prank??"