Father got sentenced after beating the possible predator to death when the odd man tried to push his way into the bathroom stall with his daughter. However, as others may believe, the sentence the father ultimately received wasn’t appropriate.
The court is aware that there is a thin line between self-defense violence and outright murder when it comes to killing one’s children. But without a second thought, if you ask most fathers, they’d readily give up their lives for their children, that’s why Melvin Harris who pick up his daughter and two of her friends like a good dad, was absolutely shaken when he heard his daughter told him of a horrifying experience when the girls came out from the store.
According to reports, an unknown male attempted to ram his way into his daughter’s stall, while she was using the restroom inside the business, the 16-year-old girl told Harris. But because the girl’s stall was locked, fortunately, the visitor couldn’t enter.
His daughter identified the suspect as Leon Armstrong, and after hearing what happened, Harris immediately headed into the store. The AZCentral.com reports that “The man was escorted outside by security and Harris’ daughter pointed him out to her father. Harris told the security guard to take care of the situation or he would do it himself.”
The man who identified as Armstrong had apparently suffered from schizophrenia as doctors determined that he had suffered a severe brain injury when rushed to a nearby hospital for medical treatment. It was reported that because of the angry father, Harris who punched Armstrong and continued to beat the man to a bloody pulp before walking away from the scene as Witnesses say.
Armstrong’s Aunt Kathilena Johnson, said, “Though he did have some mental illness, he was never a person that was considered a pedophile of any sort.”
Both witnesses and authorities denied Harris’ claim, asserting that he didn’t touch the victim once he fell to the ground, as the father was charged with second-degree murder. But Harris and his daughter maintain that Armstrong swung at him first and that he only fought back in self-defense.
Diana Jackson, the fiancée of Melvin Harris, 40, and the mother of the couple’s 16-year-old daughter tells PEOPLE said, “He didn’t mean for anybody to get killed.”
“I wasn’t doing anything wrong. I was just trying to protect my daughter,” She says Harris told her.
For his role in the death of Armstrong, he pleaded guilty and was subsequently sentenced to 8 years in prison. Harris accepted a plea deal, reducing the charge to manslaughter, after discovering that he would be facing a murder charge.
Even though he will have to spend a lengthy prison sentence, he doesn’t seem to be regretting his response. Although Harris will be held accountable for using unnecessary force in a situation that wasn’t immediately endangering his child, the father still maintains his innocence.
Jackson said that Harris’ daughter “just feels like this never would have happened if she never would have asked him to stop at that store.”
“Why didn’t the security take the necessary steps to keep him off the premises?” If they would have done what they were supposed to do,” she asked. She claims that if they had followed the correct procedures, my daughter and him as well as Melvin would not have come into contact.
Watch the video report below for more details:
Sources: Taphaps, Azcentral, Winknews, People
