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 Monica RaShae

July 8, 2012 at 3:14 AM

The charges against the father have been dropped... Thankfully! I dont believe he did anything wrong... so the guy is dead... oh. well. heartless? I dont care... I dont hold an OUNCE of pity for anyone who could do that to a child... or anyone who can even let the THOUGHT of doing that to a child enter their minds... all you people saying to call the cops blah blah blah... ummm... and that would do what?... the guy MIGHT have gotten caught... and would have been put in prison for most likely LESS than 10 years...??? just to be released to do it to another child? that is just STUPID! that's like saying "ohhh you ROYALLY screwed up? hmmm well here, let us give you a warm/cool (depending on season) place to sleep, 3 meals a day, and use of running water and facilities for the next 3-10 years!" ... um yeah... some punishment...

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Nonmember comment from ferguson2235

July 8, 2012 at 2:52 PM

Would rather the father killed him than to pay for him to be in prison. If things like this happened to more criminals perhaps we would have less crime. Hope this pedophile burns in hell.

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xoNot2Sweetox

July 8, 2012 at 6:06 PM

I think the fact that the dead man even iniated trying to molest a little kid should result in his death. It doesn't matter if he got to do it. He started to do it and that is a sick man that does not belong in society. If I were a jury member I would of said not guilty..

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Nonmember comment from feastie

July 9, 2012 at 10:44 AM

I had to read this story after seeing a link to it on my local newspaper's site. Most of the facts of the piece are just flat wrong. When someone decides to write on a topic, it is incumbent upon that person to research thoroughly and present the facts. Something I find lacking on The Stir, which is why I deleted my account over a year ago. Author should be ashamed for her irresponsibility and for stirring folks up with incorrect information. By the way, the child was five, the molestor was worker on the child's father's property, and other workers reported to the father that they'd seen the molestor take the child behind a building. The father caught the man in the act of molesting his daughter. The father did no wrong in using deadly force to protect his daughter, according to the laws of Texas, but was overcome with remorse moments after he'd saved his child. He did not mean to kill the man.

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Nonmember comment from Rooster

July 9, 2012 at 10:59 AM

Not a criminal act. Within his rights.

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Nonmember comment from greenie85

July 10, 2012 at 4:11 AM

I do not have children, but I can empathize with this situation enough to say that this man is not only a hero, but a damn good father. He did not "take the law into his own hands," he protected his daughter. The fact that the perpetrator died does not make the father a murderer; it is an inconvenient fact of the story. If the man had not died, would that have made it "right" to beat him? The creep should have considered the consequences of his actions long before he committed them. I hope this man does not go to trial for doing his duty as a father, which is first and foremost to protect your children against anything/one that may bring them harm. As horrific as a story as this is, it is good that the poor child in this case will always know that her daddy is there to protect her and will never let anyone physically harm her. The world could stand to have a few more men that are willing to stand up for their children.

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JLee143

July 11, 2012 at 4:08 AM

You may not consider this father to be a hero, but I'm sure his daughter does. I feel that he and his family have become victims of a sick man. I understand trying to be fair to each party involved in cases in which legal & moral rules/ideals seem to be muddled, but I can't help but wonder when enough will be enough! I think it's important to keep in mind that the father was the one who called 911 to report the beating. He also openly expressed remorse and claimed he did not intend to kill the man. Given that info, this father caught a man trying to take his 4-year-old daughter's innocence and reacted with the intention of protecting his daughter, not with the intention of murdering someone. I know our legal system dictates the way crimes are handled, and as long as that process is followed correctly the outcome is supposed to be "fair", but sometimes I feel a little more common sense could be exercised to protect our country. Is it more important to protect the adults who we can only hope will not commit crime to fulfill their desires, or the innocent children who are the future of our country? What message are we sending as a society if we were to bring legal charges against a father who was trying to protect his daughter from a sexual predator? I personally hope this father will have no charges filed against him so he and his family can stay together and heal from the horrible experience they've had to endure. I certainly don't feel conflicted about that.

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Nonmember comment from Claude Slagenho

July 11, 2012 at 1:39 PM

I have a different take on this. The guy is a hero. In a system that does not exact the ultimate punishment for this type of horrific crime in a timely and cost-efficient manner, the citizen, from which all power of the government derives, has the right to immediate justice. This is the basis of the heat of the argument defense. I do not completely agree that someone should be able to take someone out at a later time, but if he finds someone molesting his four year old, the justice should be swift and final, at that moment. Those who would not do the same are cowards. And a big thank you from the Texas taxpayer who would shell out millions for a show trial for this guy who would undoubtedly be allowed back into society at some point only to mollest again.

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Nonmember comment from MBL

July 11, 2012 at 4:33 PM

Anyone who harms a child in this manner deserves death. End of story, wouldnt matter to me if it was my child or some child I had never met before - the outcome should be the same for the molester. Anyone who thinks otherwise needs to re-examine their priorities

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Nonmember comment from InvisibleJester

July 14, 2012 at 11:49 PM

This man prevented his daughter and other kids from being molested. He did what any parent would do. Yes, he killed a man, but the man was still scum. I don't blame him. Maybe like give him a sentence of manslaughter or something, or at the worst, label it a crime of passion.

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