A father beat to death with his hands a man who
tried molesting his 4-year-old daughter after the
little girl was heard screaming on the family's
rural Texas ranch, authorities said Monday.
Lavaca County Sheriff Micah Harmon said the 23-
year-old father, whose name has not been released,
is unlikely to be arrested for Saturday's killing
and that no evidence so far has led investigators
to doubt his story.
"There doesn't appear to be any reason other than
what he told us," Harmon said.
Harmon said the victim was a 47-year-old man from
Gonazles with no apparent prior criminal history.
His name continued to be withheld Monday because
authorities still hadn't tracked down any of his
family.
The victim was an "acquaintance" of the father who
had come to help care for some horses, Harmon
said. He did not know how long the two men may
have known each other. The girl was taken to a
hospital to be examined and has since been
released, Harmon said.
The father called police late Saturday afternoon
and told them he attacked a man caught trying to
sexually assault his daughter, Harmon said. The
alleged attack happened near a barn where some
horses were being kept.