A Texas man suffered a father’s worst nightmare. He found a stranger on his property raping his five-year-old daughter. The dad fought the rapist and ended up killing him. A grand jury decided not to indict him for the intruder’s death.
A grand jury in Lavaca County determined that a 23-year-old father who killed the man sexually assaulting his young daughter was justified in his use of deadly force. He will not be charged for the death of Jesus Mora Flores, the 47-year-old rapist. Initially, the sheriff had put the decision in the hands of the grand jury because he was not willing to press charges.
It all began when the unnamed dad was going about his daily chores. His young son ran up to him and told him a stranger had grabbed his sister and pulled her into a little shack on the back of the family’s property. The father rushed to rescue his daughter and could hear her screams as he approached.
When the dad burst into the shack, his daughter and Flores both had their underwear off and he was raping the little girl. The father, in a rage, jumped on Flores and beat him unconscious.
The father went to check to see if his daughter was safe, then called 911 to report the incident. The father told the operator what happened and told them that the man he beat wasn’t moving. He seemed concerned and even offered to drive the rapist to the hospital. Later when he learned that Flores’ wounds had been fatal, the man expressed a great deal of remorse.
The little girl was examined at the hospital as well, and she had injuries consistent with sexual assault. Forensic investigators also found evidence of the assault on Flores.
The grand jury heard the evidence. The defense attorney painted the father as a normally calm and non-violent person. He’s not a man who was likely to deliberately take someone’s life.
“He’s a peaceable soul,” she said. “He had no intention to kill anybody that day.”
Sheriff Micah Harmon supported the father from the start. “You have a right to defend your daughter,” Harmon told CNN at the time. “The girl’s father 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.”
The grand jury agreed. So did District Attorney Heather McMinn. “Under the law in the state of Texas deadly force is authorized and justified in order to stop an aggravated sexual assault or sexual assault,” she said.
Most people could probably understand the father’s outrage when he stumbled upon Flores assaulting his child, and the primal drive to protect his family. The long nightmare is finally over for the family, who can hopefully put the tragedy behind them and move on in peace.
Source: Washington Times, Daily Mail
