Texan father beats to death man he says he caught molesting his 4-year-old

GlobalPost

A father who caught a man sexually assaulting his four-year-old daughter and bashed him to death may not face charges, according to Texas authorities.

According to CNN, the girl had been left inside the family’s house near Shiner, Texas during a social gathering over the weekend while other members of her family were tending to horses. 

Lavaca County Sheriff Micah Harmon reportedly said that when the father returned to the house and caught the man abusing his daughter, he punched the man repeatedly in the head, killing him.

KWTX.com reported that the victim had been identified as a 47-year-old man from Gonzales and appeared to have no prior criminal history.

According to the Houston Chronicle, the man was not well-known, if all, to the father and child.

Harmon said the girl, taken to a local hospital for examination, was "okay, besides the obvious mental trauma."

He said the father was ‘‘very remorseful’’ and did not know the other man was going to die.

"You have a right to defend your daughter," Harmon said after being asked whether police would press charges against the girl's father.

"He acted in defense of [of her]. 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."

More from GlobalPost: Woman shoots Texas mother dead, steals newborn baby

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