Quote:
Originally Posted by MarchHare
I'm not a lawyer, but doesn't the use of lethal force have to be justified in court when making a self defense claim? Obviously none of us know many details beyond what was linked in the OP, but wouldn't shouting "HEY! WHAT THE $#@ ARE YOU DOING TO MY DAUGHTER?!" have been enough to stop the sexual assault?
I tend to think octothorp has it right. The state has to send a message that there's no place for vigalante justice in a civilized society, but there were certainly very strong mitigating circumstances that should be taken into consideration during sentencing. Based on the information we know from the OP (which is obviously incomplete), a manslaughter charge with the prosecution recommending the minimum sentence seems reasonable to me.
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It does, but this is Texas, so the standard is about what you would expect it to be in Texas.