The Region : Woman, 70, Shoots Intruder to Death

An elderly widow shot and killed an ex-convict armed with a screwdriver who broke into her home in Artesia, authorities said. The 70-year-old woman fired four shots from a .38-caliber handgun when the intruder confronted her at her bedroom door, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Sgt. Richard Adams said. Three of the shots hit the man, who died in the home, Adams said. He said the man, whose name was not disclosed, was released in September from San Quentin state prison after serving a term for burglary. The widow, whose name was withheld, told detectives that she was awakened by a noise in her home. She said she picked up a gun that she kept beside her bed and started to walk into the living room but met the intruder at the bedroom door and opened fire.