Did This Dad Go Too Far?
macpatti
Posts: 4,280 Member
(CNN) -- A Texas father caught a man sexually assaulting his 4-year-old daughter and punched him in the head repeatedly, killing him, authorities said.
The father was casually acquainted with the alleged abuser, said Lavaca County Sheriff Micah Harmon.
Neither has been publicly identified.
The girl was left inside the family's house during the social gathering, while other members of her family were tending to horses, the sheriff said.
The alleged abuser was known for his horse-grooming abilities, Harmon said.
The father returned to the house, caught the man in the act, and stopped him by striking him in the head several times, Harmon said.
The man was pronounced dead on the scene, while the daughter was taken to a local hospital in Victoria, Texas, for examinations before being released.
The incident took place Saturday.
Harmon described the girl as "OK besides the obvious mental trauma."
Asked whether they would press charges against the father, the sheriff responded, "You have a right to defend your daughter. He acted in defense of his third person. Once the investigation is completed we will submit it to the district attorney who then submits it to the grand jury, who will decide if they will indict him."
Harmon described the dad as "very remorseful," adding that he didn't know the man was going to die.
Authorities were withholding the deceased man's name while they notified next of kin. Officials did not know immediately if he has a prior criminal history.
Lavaca County Precinct Judge Alene Lyons, who is coordinating information in the case including autopsy results, said Monday
that a preliminary autopsy report indicated the victim "died from blunt-force head and neck injuries."
"It will take six weeks to get the full report back because they also did a toxicology report," Lyons said.
The father was casually acquainted with the alleged abuser, said Lavaca County Sheriff Micah Harmon.
Neither has been publicly identified.
The girl was left inside the family's house during the social gathering, while other members of her family were tending to horses, the sheriff said.
The alleged abuser was known for his horse-grooming abilities, Harmon said.
The father returned to the house, caught the man in the act, and stopped him by striking him in the head several times, Harmon said.
The man was pronounced dead on the scene, while the daughter was taken to a local hospital in Victoria, Texas, for examinations before being released.
The incident took place Saturday.
Harmon described the girl as "OK besides the obvious mental trauma."
Asked whether they would press charges against the father, the sheriff responded, "You have a right to defend your daughter. He acted in defense of his third person. Once the investigation is completed we will submit it to the district attorney who then submits it to the grand jury, who will decide if they will indict him."
Harmon described the dad as "very remorseful," adding that he didn't know the man was going to die.
Authorities were withholding the deceased man's name while they notified next of kin. Officials did not know immediately if he has a prior criminal history.
Lavaca County Precinct Judge Alene Lyons, who is coordinating information in the case including autopsy results, said Monday
that a preliminary autopsy report indicated the victim "died from blunt-force head and neck injuries."
"It will take six weeks to get the full report back because they also did a toxicology report," Lyons said.
0
Replies
-
Nope and he should receive no jail time. Not even a fine. Not even anger management classes.
:indifferent:0 -
I think I know what a jury in a rural county in Texas is going to do with this one.0
-
So, at no point do you think he should have realized he'd successfully gotten his daughter out of danger and was causing more injury than necessary?0
-
We certainly aren't known for going easy on murderers here! I don't know that anyone would even consider this murder, though.I think I know what a jury in a rural county in Texas is going to do with this one.0 -
So, at no point do you think he should have realized he'd successfully gotten his daughter out of danger and was causing more injury than necessary?
Nope. Allowing him to live only allows him the opportunity to molest other children. These people have a sickness and a compulsion. I'm sorry for that, I wish they didn't. But it can't be allowed to go on.0 -
I call it justifiable homicide. Saved the state's taxpayers some money. Good for him.0
-
Remorseful? I wouldn't be.
I would sleep a little easier at night knowing he isn't on the streets with the possiblilty of another child having to deal with "mental trauma."0 -
The father is probably having nightmares about it. I hope the courts don't hassle him any further.0
-
No. I don't think I would be able to stop in that situation either. I think it's fair and it should be done....So, at no point do you think he should have realized he'd successfully gotten his daughter out of danger and was causing more injury than necessary?0 -
So, at no point do you think he should have realized he'd successfully gotten his daughter out of danger and was causing more injury than necessary?
This had nothing to do with "getting his daughter out of danger." He could have just pulled the guy away if that was the case.0 -
No, he did not go too far. He should get no jail time. Justified homicide, as some one else put it.0
-
We certainly aren't known for going easy on murderers here! I don't know that anyone would even consider this murder, though.I think I know what a jury in a rural county in Texas is going to do with this one.
It's technically manslaughter, but I doubt they could even get a conviction on that.0 -
Nope. Allowing him to live only allows him the opportunity to molest other children. These people have a sickness and a compulsion. I'm sorry for that, I wish they didn't. But it can't be allowed to go on.
Agreed. I'm all for rehabilitation, but even pedophiles themselves will tell you there is no cure. The only way to make 100% certain they never molest another child again is to lock them up forever, which is something I wish we did.0 -
There is one problem. Only one.
The opportunity for justice was taken away from the people because he took the law (and more) into his own hands. Now I fully support him doing this. The only issue is what if he was wrong? What if his daughter was not actually being molested? THAT would be a huge problem and he would need to be punished harshly for it.
Because you can't go around murdering people just because you THINK they molested your child. If you know for sure by all means, murder away (I know there is no legal grounds for this, just my own feelings on the matter. I recommend no one follow my advice)0 -
I thought he walked in on the molesting actually happening? If I misread that and he just assumed it happened, then he was totally in the wrong. But if he walked in and saw it happening? Beat away.0
-
So, at no point do you think he should have realized he'd successfully gotten his daughter out of danger and was causing more injury than necessary?This had nothing to do with "getting his daughter out of danger." He could have just pulled the guy away if that was the case.
That leads to the question of should he be punished? So, if he wasn't acting in immediate self-defense of his daughter, was he just beating the crap out of the man to punish him for what he'd done? Does that make it different?0 -
If I were on the jury, I wouldn't convict him.0
-
no i dont think he did he was protecting his child and as a parent i would do anything to protect my children from harm, the poor dad will have to live with the fact that he has killed a man no matter how justifiable it was for the rest of his life and he will also have to help his daughter get through this trauma what would it say to her if the man protecting her was then taken away for doing so0
-
I wouldn't care what the consequences would be to me; the most humane thineg I would do is end that person's life. If I could get him alone in my basement for several hours, I would do much more than end his life.
It wouldn't have to have been one of my children he sexually assaulted; I would take him out if I didn't know the child.
He has no rights in my eyes. Can't say it any plainer than that.0 -
Nope and he should receive no jail time. Not even a fine. Not even anger management classes.
:indifferent:
^^ This right here ^^
The article states that there was NO evidence to refute the dad's version of what happened.
If heaven forbid I was in this situation. I'm sure I would just blank out in a rage and beat the molester to death as well.0 -
I have to attend VIRTUS Training every year (for the protection of children). One of the first things we learn is how harmful it can be to tell your child that you'd kill a person for harming them. That is one of the things that keeps children from telling their parents. They become too worried that mom or dad will go kill someone and end up in jail.0
-
My daughter is four years old too. I don't see how I could have handled the situation any differently. Wait, I'm wrong. I probably wouldn't feel any remorse.0
-
So, at no point do you think he should have realized he'd successfully gotten his daughter out of danger and was causing more injury than necessary?
Nope. Allowing him to live only allows him the opportunity to molest other children. These people have a sickness and a compulsion. I'm sorry for that, I wish they didn't. But it can't be allowed to go on.
I totally agree with Brett. There are some people too vile to be on this planet...child predators fall in this category.
Maybe it's a little bloodthirsty on my part, but if even castration can't cure the urges, in my opinion every single one of them need to be put down like the dogs they are.
I feel sorry for the father that he has to live with knowing he took someone's life; I can't imagine that's easy, regardless of the provocation. That being said, in his shoes <I can only imagine the rage of witnessing someone harming my child> I would have done the same and damn the consequences.0 -
That leads to the question of should he be punished? So, if he wasn't acting in immediate self-defense of his daughter, was he just beating the crap out of the man to punish him for what he'd done? Does that make it different?
By the "letter of the law," yes, he should be punished. By the "spirit of the law," probably not.
As I said before, practically speaking, I doubt you could get a jury to convict. Other countries have "jury nullification," where a jury can decide not on the letter of the law, but on the fact that they don't believe the State should be prosecution a certain individual. We don't technically have that in the USA, but I think in a case like this, it would happen.0 -
I have to attend VIRTUS Training every year (for the protection of children). One of the first things we learn is how harmful it can be to tell your child that you'd kill a person for harming them. That is one of the things that keeps children from telling their parents. They become too worried that mom or dad will go kill someone and end up in jail.
Yes that is not a nice thing to tell a child. I agree.0 -
Everyone can debate what the guy should have done. He could have pulled the guy off his daughter, could have called the cops, could have done this, done that. But no one looks at the human element of the father's behavior. If a man walks in to see his FOUR year old daughter being sexually assaulted by a middle aged man......do you think he is going to respond rationally or logically? Adrenaline, anger, fear for his daughter, emotions...you can't prosecute a man for having the understandable reaction anyone should have.0
-
Nope. Allowing him to live only allows him the opportunity to molest other children. These people have a sickness and a compulsion. I'm sorry for that, I wish they didn't. But it can't be allowed to go on.
Agreed. I'm all for rehabilitation, but even pedophiles themselves will tell you there is no cure. The only way to make 100% certain they never molest another child again is to lock them up forever, which is something I wish we did.
So we should pay the expenses to keep them locked up forever?0 -
If a man walks in to see his FOUR year old daughter being sexually assaulted by a middle aged man......do you think he is going to respond rationally or logically? Adrenaline, anger, fear for his daughter, emotions...you can't prosecute a man for having the understandable reaction anyone should have.
I agree.0 -
So we should pay the expenses to keep them locked up forever?
Yup.0 -
Nope. Allowing him to live only allows him the opportunity to molest other children. These people have a sickness and a compulsion. I'm sorry for that, I wish they didn't. But it can't be allowed to go on.
Agreed. I'm all for rehabilitation, but even pedophiles themselves will tell you there is no cure. The only way to make 100% certain they never molest another child again is to lock them up forever, which is something I wish we did.
So we should pay the expenses to keep them locked up forever?
Yeah...what's the point of putting them in a rehab program, if they wll be locked up forever anyway? It's a waste of money. Just keep them alive. Three meals and shelter. That's it.0
This discussion has been closed.