Comment: Hindsight is 20/20

Yes, he was a cowardly burglar. He could have been a non-cowardly robber, a burglar with an eye for young ladies, a burglar with a mean streak that knows how to deliver a crowbar to the head, a burglar that is not an idiot and carries a gun, etc.

I wouldn't have hid in the closet, probably, but I'm not going to open the door to some stranger who breaks into my home, or let him potentially know to bring a gun along with his crowbar because a lady is alone in there. I think she did the right thing in shooting and I also think it is ok that she deterred him with non-lethal force, since it removed the threat.

It is admirable to not desire vengeance (I agree), but there is no need to blame the *victim* for not telling the burglar they are home, or for choosing a strategic position, etc. It might deter some burglars, but it might escalate to further violence for others. One doesn't know.