Dad Accused of Beating Daughter's 'Molester' to Death Is No Hero

by Jeanne Sager June 11, 2012 at 2:26 PM

crime scene Prepare to feel conflicted. A father who says he found a man trying to molest his 4-year-old may be facing a whole other kind of trial. Cops in Shiner, Texas, say the little girl's dad put a stop to the assault then beat the man to death.

So far what cops will do with the dad remains up in the air. I'm not surprised; there's no easy answer here for them. Say you were put on a jury to face a case like that. Would you be able to make a decision that would let you go to bed that night with a clear conscience? I don't think I would.

I want to say that the fatal beating the Lavaca County sheriff says happened in a family house (no names have been released to protect the sexual assault victim's identity) on Sunday afternoon was the right thing and cheer from the rooftops.

I'm a parent, for cripes sakes. I never want to see a child being hurt in any fashion. Just last night I sat in my house with my heart beating fast against my chest because I'd heard a rumor that a local teen had to be airlifted out of an accident scene (good news: it was one of those exaggerations that spreads on Facebook -- she's fine). In that sense, if the allegation of abuse is true, then I would have been shaking with anger and horror both. If I were that father, I would have wanted to kill that man.

But wanted to does not equal would have.

Consider this: when you take justice into your own hands, what happens? You get in trouble. You, the person who, up until that very moment, was in the right.

You may say it's "worth it" because the other person got what you thought was "coming," but you are forever marred by having sunk to the criminal level. You are what you profess to despise.

I can imagine that if this dad beat this man, he thought he was doing it for the right reasons. I hope that the police and prosecutors treat this whole case with that in mind. But there is no way to walk away from this one feeling anything but conflicted, is there?

What's your read? Do you think the accusations against this dad make him a criminal or a hero?

Image via Tex Texin/Flickr

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jeanne Sager

writes articles for The Stir by day, slays closet monsters and bounds through bedtime stories with her elementary schooler by night. The Phineas and Ferb soundtrack reverberates through her brain.

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Comments 1120

Facebook comment from Claudia Fuller Bishop

June 26, 2012 at 8:31 PM

I am not conflicted at all. If you're hurting my child, be prepared to face everything that my petite 5'2 body can throw at you. When it comes to the safety of my child, I don't stop and ask questions especially if I were to walk upon someone molesting her and she's screaming for help. That's not sinking to a criminal level. That's rising up our duties as parents.

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Facebook comment from Felicia Olivarez

June 26, 2012 at 10:18 PM

Not only should you NOT take anything without a grain of salt for being the truth on FB, she was not a teenager. She was four years old and not only would I get the chance to beat someone to death for molesting or attempting to molest my son, I thought I would have to take extreme measurements a few years ago when I grown man kept inviting my son places without asking me or my husband first. He kept on until I had a conversation with my son why this was not o.k. After that, my son stopped going outside until we moved. Whatever would happen to me is nothing compared to the innocence taken from a child. There is NO AMOUNT of counseling and I know he would have NEVER been the same!

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naturalmommy87

June 27, 2012 at 12:30 AM

Seriously? He's a damn hero! I would've done the same! And if I was a child I would be thankful to never have to face that molester again because the justice system wouldn't have given him many years. I was raped as a child and I NEVER had anyone come to my rescue. I am terrified to this day that I might run into the men that raped me.

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Anniemeee

June 27, 2012 at 2:32 AM

I wish you'd change that stupid headline. For one thing, I don't think CAFE MOM is in any position to JUDGE the situation and I am so disgusted with this website for being so harsh on this young man that you've lost my respect permanently. I'm only here to SAY that.

And you've had the headline running for the past week, but this is the first I've seen of any opportunity to RESPOND to it. Did the person who WROTE this article ever read up on WHAT HAPPENED? This young father is exceptionally polite, well mannered and responsible. Someone told him his little daughter had been dragged behind the barn: he went running back there and could hear her screams as he approached. The guy had his pants down, naked, he was in the act.

Do you think the father had time to EVALUATE the situation? He STOPPED it. He wrestled with another man who was also young and most likely quite strong. And then the father called 911 immediately for help for the guy he'd beaten. I just don't see ANYTHING in that story that indicates he intended to kill or he was being malicious. He stopped the assault and saved his daughter!!! He was very distressed about hurting the man, he was screaming at the 911 dispatch to hurry.

I think Cafe Mom should keep their stinking nosy nose OUT of this business because they were NOT there and it's highly offensive that they should openly JUDGE what happened.

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Nonmember comment from Bo

June 27, 2012 at 8:28 AM

It's funny how people act like they are above human emotion. I'd like to see how all these people who think the father was wrong would react when they restrained this child molester and then went to court to see him get 6 months in jail, no significant treatment and then know that this predator is back out in the neighborhood. I'd bet that is real good for the child. Talk about feeling victimized every day walking out the door knowing that that man is out there somewhere. Of course all opinions have to assume what the father said was true. I can never wrap my head around the weak mentality of not defending your family and our communities and our country at all costs. The direct and indirect damage a child molester can cause can be severe and affect numbers of people down the road and you want to say that he should hold the guy down until police get there so the guy can be back out on the streets in 6 months. You might want to reevaluate that. Imagine all the pain and suffering that might have been spared if Sandusky was beat to death in the shower.

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Nonmember comment from Bo

June 27, 2012 at 8:43 AM

To the Author: Your idiotic, moronic and irresponsible comments about this man and his reactions to saving his daughter are at the core of what is wrong with this country. You imply that those of us who obey the law and try to live as upstanding citizens should live in fear. Fearful of those who have no regard for the law those who abide by them or even defensless children. You say we should even fear the legal system that is here to protect us and our rights to protect ourselves. Your weak mentality has poisoned this country to its core, and I'm glad to read that there are people out there that are ready to be the cure to your crippling disease...FEAR.

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Nonmember comment from elle

June 27, 2012 at 10:29 AM

I would have absolutely snapped too! Come on, it's his child!! I'm sure the guy did not mean to kill him. You could hit someone just once and kill them. Iv'e had a couple of friends whose spouses would beat them up. I warned them that they should not put up with the hitting because he could kill you. She said, "oh, he would never kill me, he just knocks me around, it's not like he starts hitting me and doesn't stop." I told her he doesn't have to keep repeatedly hitting you to kill you. All it takes is punching someone in that one wrong spot. People watch movies and see someone die only after they were repeatedly hit and their face crushed in. That does not have to happen to kill someone. And to the writer of this story, he is NOT becoming the guy he just killed, that guy is a pedophile. There is no way anyone can honestly say what they would do if in a situation like that. You have to experience it first before you can say what you would do in a situation like that. Let's be realistic.

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Nonmember comment from Randy

June 27, 2012 at 11:56 AM

This guy won't get arrested and he is a hero. Anyone who thinks that a parent won't fight to save their child from violence/trauma/bodily harm/rape/assault is not a real parent. This guy was protecting his family. Last time I checked, thats still legal.

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GoshDarn

June 27, 2012 at 1:16 PM

The story here fails to give other very important details. I'd been following the same story on Nancy Grace's show. This man heard his daughters screams, and rushed to her aid. Nancy Grace also played the 911 tapes where you can hear the distraught father calling and begging for help for the monster who was attacking his daughter.

My heart goes out to the little girl, her father and the rest of her family.

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Facebook comment from David Clarke

June 27, 2012 at 2:12 PM

this man is no hero, however he did something that wasn't necessary. he didn't have to beat the man to death, but he did. he lost control as many of us would probably have done if we walked in on some man molesting our child. instead of killing the man, he should of laid a beating on him without killing, then had the man arrested to spend a long, lonely time in jail.

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