An Indiana resident has been charged with manslaughter following a tragic incident where a house cleaner was fatally shot after mistakenly arriving at his home.
Curt Andersen, aged 62, is accused of shooting 32-year-old Maria Florinda Rios Perez De Velasquez through his front door in Whitestown, a suburb of Indianapolis. The shooting occurred just before 7 a.m. on November 5, as detailed in a probable cause affidavit.
Authorities discovered Velasquez, an immigrant from Guatemala, dead on Andersen’s porch. It was later revealed she was part of a cleaning crew that had unintentionally gone to the wrong address.
In his statement to investigators, Andersen recounted being awakened by a “commotion” at his door, which intensified. Under the impression that an attempted break-in was underway, he peeked out a window and saw two individuals at the entrance.
The incident involving Maria Florinda Rios Perez De Velasquez, who was shot and killed after mistakenly going to the wrong home in Whitestown, Indiana, occurred on Wednesday, November 5, 2025. (The Associated Press)
Andersen said he then loaded his handgun and returned to the window, where he observed the individuals “thrusting” at the door. Without making his presence known, he fired a single shot, stating that the door remained closed throughout the encounter.
The home of Curt Andersen, 62, the Indiana homeowner charged with voluntary manslaughter in the killing of Maria Florinda Rios Perez De Velasquez, is shown in Whitestown, Indiana, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
When told he had killed someone, Andersen put his head down and said he didn’t mean for anything to happen to anybody, the affidavit states.
Andersen’s wife, Yoshie Andersen, told investigators that her husband fired the shot from the top of the stairs and neither of them went downstairs. He fired the shot and then told her to call 911, she said.
Investigators are seen at the home of Curt Andersen following the shooting on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (WRTV)
Investigators found a bullet hole in the door but no signs of forced entry on the door, latch or frame.
Velasquez’s husband, Mauricio, told police they had been trying to open the door with keys from their cleaning company for 30 seconds to a minute. They didn’t knock or force entry and heard no voices from inside.
Velasquez’s husband Mauricio told media outlets that he didn’t realize she had been shot until she fell back into his arms, bleeding on the porch. (WRTV)
He told media outlets that he didn’t realize she had been shot until she fell back into his arms, bleeding on the porch. On a fundraising page, her brother described Rios as a mother of four children.
Andersen could face 10 to 30 years in prison if convicted. He remains in the Boone County Jail pending an initial court appearance.
Andersen’s attorney Guy Relford said on X he was disappointed by the charges, arguing his client believed his actions were justified and protected under the state’s stand-your-ground law.
“Mr. Andersen’s actions must be evaluated based on the circumstances as he perceived them,” Relford said in the statement.
Boone County Prosecutor Kent Eastwood announces that voluntary manslaughter charges have been filed against an Indiana homeowner in the killing of Maria Florinda Rios Perez De Velasquez in Lebanon, Indiana, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Boone County Prosecutor Kent Eastwood said the case doesn’t qualify under Indiana’s stand-your-ground law because Andersen lacked sufficient information to reasonably believe deadly force was necessary.
Eastwood said the decision to file charges was not difficult and that the state will argue Andersen could not have reasonably believed he was under threat.
