The debate over whether a father who found a man molesting his 4-year-old daughter and allegedly beat him to death has been raging for days now. And it's time to put it to bed. Cops say the Texas dad will likely not be prosecuted. What's more: he says he wishes it hadn't happened.
A grand jury will still debate charges of some kind for the father while police search for family of the deceased before releasing his name. And regardless of their decision, the father who acted out on his daughter's abuser has two things to live with for the rest of his life that I don't wish on anyone.
For the rest of his life, the dad, whose identity has been sealed to protect that of his daughter, the sexual abuse victim, will close his eyes and see a man hurting his precious child. There's no escaping that.
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The molestation was not his fault. But here's betting it haunts him anyway. Because that's what happens when you're a parent: seeing your child hurt is not something you can put in a box and stow on some dusty shelf in your brain.
And then there's the beating, the death of the sick pervert who dared hurt that little girl. The father has expressed regret for the beating death, according to the Sheriff in Lavaca County. Sheriff Micah Harmon says he never meant to kill the man and has referred to the incident as accidental.
I'm not surprised. I said this week that beating someone to death, no matter the circumstances doesn't make someone a hero. It sounds like this dad agrees with me.
Hurting someone for hurting an innocent child sounds like it would fill you with satisfaction. But there's a distinction that the folks who have been thumping on their chests that this man is indeed a hero have failed to make. There's hurting, and then there's killing.
To cause the death of another is a whole other ball of wax. It isn't something you get over easily, even if you had the best of intentions. Maybe especially if you had the best of intentions ... after all, a person who kills on accident is not a cold-blooded killer. The person who kills on accident is more likely to have real feelings about it, because they are, at heart, a good person. Just ask anyone who has accidentally killed someone: the driver who came around a turn and hit the pedestrian because they couldn't stop.
No matter what happens with that grand jury, this Texas father's nightmare is just beginning. And throwing around the word "hero" is not going to lighten his load.
Put yourself in this dad's shoes, how would you be feeling right now?
Image via Michael Melchiorre/Flickr
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Comments 170
The whole thing is a tragedy,u can't blame the man,anyone woman or man would lose their head walking in on something like that.Does the perv deserve 2 die,well must have been his time or he would not have died!!
Obviously he wishes it hadn't happened. However, he needs to be applauded. Too many people are afraid to stand up for themselves and their families due to our ever evolving injustice system. This Dad did the right thing, and I can honestly say I would have killed the guy without hesitation or regret had I been the one to find my child in that situation.
I get that killing someone is a psychologically difficult thing to swallow. I mean, I'm positive the man went into a fit of rage, and beat him until HE (the dad) felt better... and it wound up being one or two hits too much....
Similar to say, spanking your child when you're angry and overdoing it. More for the sake of releasing your aggression then actually punishing the crime. I get that.
So dealing with what you did is probably really hard.
HOWEVER.... once he swallows it down, deals with the images and memories, and gets a grasp around his motive, I think he'll be okay, and regret it less and less. I think my regret would be doing something like that in front of my child, where they can see me get so angry I litteraly killed someone...but no, I don't at ALL think he will regret this forever. I think he will eventually accept the "hero" title, and his daughter will love, respect and trust him for the rest of her life.
"On accident"? Really?!
He was remorseful from the beginning. Do you have *any* idea the cleanup involved after a solid beatdown? Your whole house needs to be detailed, it's gross.
"One less man = one less pedophile!!"
"since he himself is a possible pedophile, being a man, "
"We women need to be like him, ready to kill any man even acting slightly suspicious around children."
You are one truly SICK individual...
I still say he is a hero he protected his daughter and thats exactly what he should have done. Yes he probably does regret that he killed the man cause no one in there right mind ever want to kill anyone. But the father was not in his right mind he was most likly the angryest he has ever been in his entire life and he could not control himself. But the molkester was a monster that imo needed to be killed might as well be at the hands of one of the victims parents since the victims are to young to fend for themselves.