Prosecutor weighs whether shooting in Whitestown that killed a cleaning lady was justified under the law.
Whitestown police and the Boone County prosecutor are continuing to investigate if a shooting that left a cleaning woman dead was justified under the law.
A cleaning woman, Maria Florinda Rios Perez, was fatally shot in Whitestown, Indiana, after mistakenly arriving at the wrong home for a cleaning job on November 5, 2025.
Details of the incident:
The 32-year-old mother of four was with her husband, Mauricio Velásquez, when they arrived at the incorrect address around 7 a.m.
Velásquez told ABC affiliate WRTV that his wife was on the front porch with a key for the correct house when she was shot through the front door.
He described his wife falling into his arms and seeing the blood.
The homeowner called 911 to report a possible home invasion, believing the wrong-address arrival to be a burglary.
Police arrived and determined the couple was a cleaning crew and that no home invasion had occurred.
Investigation and aftermath
No arrests or charges: As of November 10, 2025, no arrests have been made, and no charges have been filed. The investigation is ongoing.
Legal complexities: The Boone County prosecutor has noted the complexity of the case, citing Indiana’s stand-your-ground law, which allows for the use of deadly force to prevent death or great bodily harm.
National attention: The case has drawn comparisons to other incidents where people were shot after going to the wrong house, including Ralph Yarl in Missouri and Kaylin Gillis in New York.
Family response: Velásquez, who is from Guatemala, is calling for justice and expressing his grief over his wife’s death.
Community support: More than $200,000 was raised for the family through GoFundMe campaigns, and people in the Indiana community have come together to demand justice.
Services: Funeral services for Maria Florinda Rios Perez were held on November 9, 2025.
The case has drawn comparisons to other incidents where people were shot after going to the wrong house, including Ralph Yarl in Missouri and Kaylin Gillis in New York.
National media attention rose toward this first of four unrelated shootings across the US that week, which were all characterized by young people sustaining gunfire for making a harmless mistake. The other three were the murder of Kaylin Gillis in Hebron, New York, after she entered the wrong driveway; the shooting of two cheerleaders in Elgin, Texas, after they entered the wrong car; and the shooting of Kinsley White and her parents in Gastonia, North Carolina, after her basketball rolled into a neighbor’s yard.