By the CNN Wire Staff
(CNN) – A grand jury will weigh whether charges should be filed against a Texas father who killed a man he found sexually abusing his daughter, local authorities said.
According to the Lavaca County Sheriff’s Office, the 23-year-old father and his family were enjoying a barbecue last Saturday at their ranch on Shiner’s outskirts where they keep horses and chickens.
His young daughter had gone off toward the barn, to feed the chickens, the child’s grandfather — who isn’t being named, to protect the identity of his granddaughter — told CNN affiliates KSAT and KPRC.
Then her father heard screaming and ran. He found a 47-year-old man in the act of sexually abusing his daughter, according to Sheriff Micah Harmon.
The father stopped the alleged abuser, then pounded him repeatedly in the head.
“At this time I believe the homicide investigation should be sent to the grand jury. Sheriff Harmon made the right decision in not arresting the father at the time of the incident. All of the evidence surrounding this homicide will be presented to the Grand Jury as soon as possible,” Lavaca County District Attorney Heather McMinn said in a statement Friday.
The father himself called 911, saying his daughter’s alleged abuser was lying, beaten, on the ground. Afterward, the sheriff said that the admitted killer appeared “very remorseful” and didn’t know the other man would die at the scene.
Authorities have identified the man killed as Jesus Mora Flores. He was an acquaintance of the family, known for his horse-grooming abilities, Harmon said.
Lavaca County Precinct Judge Alene Lyons said this week that a preliminary autopsy report shows the man “died from blunt-force head and neck injuries,” adding toxicology report results should be back in six weeks.
Most any violence is unexpected in Shiner, a community between Houston and San Antonio that has about 2,000 people within its city limits and another 1,500 or so on its outskirts, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
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