Boulder, Colo. ? A couple who killed a masked intruder who burst into their home will not face criminal charges, prosecutors said Monday.

Becci Starr, 59, beat the unidentified man with a baseball bat as her husband, Scott Mattes, 56, wrestled with the intruder for control of the intruder’s knife, Boulder County sheriff’s investigators said. First Assistant Dist. Atty. Pete Maguire said their actions were a clear case of self defense and defense of others.

“The ferocity of the attack left no doubt that if they had not defended themselves effectively, they would likely have been killed,” Maguire said in a statement.

Maguire said their actions were protected by Colorado statutes, including the so-called Make My Day Law.

Mattes performed CPR on the intruder after he was subdued but he died at the scene. The man, described as in his late 20s or early 30s, still has not been identified.

Starr told investigators that he rang the doorbell of the couple’s home around 10:25 p.m. on Oct. 3 and tried to force his way in after she answered.

The intruder was carrying what looked like handgun, authorities said. He dropped the fake weapon and pulled out a knife when Starr picked up a bat she kept next to the front door.

Mattes, having heard his wife scream, said he tackled the intruder. He said he stabbed the intruder while pinned underneath him as his wife hit him with the bat.