Vigilante Parent: Delaware Dad Admits He Beat Man to Death Based on Child Abuse Claim
Two dads are in the news these days for killing men whom they suspected of molesting their children. The most well-known name, of course, is Jonathan Edington, the Connecticut lawyer who lost his shit after his daughter made an abuse claim against their neighbor, Barry James. Edington is currently awaiting trial on charges that he crawled through the neighbor’s window and stabbed him to death. Meanwhile, in Delaware, 27-year-old Robert Fontanez freely admits to beating 77-year-old Bismark Vasquez to death after Fontanez’ 5-year-old daughter made a similar allegation. Fontanez has agreed to plea to a lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide. (He originally faced a murder-2 rap.)
I know a lot of my readers are thinking, “Good for these dads”. Sorry, but I call “bullshit” on that. If your child’s made such an allegation, you take it through the proper authorities. You see that justice is done correctly. You don’t go all Charles “Death Wish” Bronson on the accused offender’s ass, and skip the “inconvenience” of a fair jury trial. By killing these men in vigilante attacks, all that Edington and Fontanez have done is rob society of the chance to prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the names Barry James and Bismark Vasquez should go down in history with the ignoble “child predator” tags attached to them. Now, there will always be doubt and second-guessing. I’m not saying that the children in these cases are liars; I’m questioning human fallibility. We have courts and trials for a reason. Did we as a society learn nothing from the McMartin fiasco?
(Plenty more on Edington, by the way, can be found at the excellent Crime Scene Blog)
Tags: child-abuse, dad, daughter, delaware, father, jonathon-edington, molestation, robert-fontanez, vigilante-parents, wilmingtonRelated Stories
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19 opinions for Vigilante Parent: Delaware Dad Admits He Beat Man to Death Based on Child Abuse Claim
Luci
Oct 4, 2006 at 7:14 pm
Whatever. .
Apparantly, you’ve never been molested. If you have, you liked it and you want others to have the same experience. There’s a lot of repeat offenders out there. Too many prisons are filled with too many people serving too long for lesser crimes. You’re in more trouble for drug crimes or stealing than murder or molestation.
The Zero Boss
Oct 4, 2006 at 7:17 pm
Wow, Luci, great way to be stupid and miss the point.
So you’re comfortable with people being killed based on the mere allegation of abuse? Wonderful. There goes law, order, and civilization down the drain.
Alice
Oct 5, 2006 at 8:48 am
“Apparantly, you’ve never been molested. If you have, you liked it and you want others to have the same experience.”
Ouch. Jay, that’s gotta sting.
…Er, no, ‘Luci’, he doesn’t. What he (and I, and billions of other civilized, balanced, decent members of society) wants is for things to be PROVEN before they are acted upon.
You know, that little thing called JUSTICE. It isn’t served by someone attacking and killing someone who MIGHT be a child predator. It’s served by proving that the person IS (or ISN’T) a child abuser and then taking action accordingly.
Had either of these men served jail sentences/time in a facility for molesting children after being tried and sentenced in court? If so, my apologies and fine; good for the guys that whacked them, although I stand by my words about proof and justice (and I stand by Jay’s too).
If not, then why the hell were these men killed? Because of say so? Because on the word (and I’m not saying that every child is a liar, I’m just posing the possibility that in this instance that might be the case considering the fact that nowadays at least its reported that many kids AND adults DO lie about that sort of thing for varying reasons, which I feel is an evil occurrence because it not only possibly ruins the lives of those accused and their family/friends but it makes things oh-so harder for those that have truly been molested and abused, but that’s a rant for another day) of one child a man decided to instead of sending things through the proper channels KILL a man who may have been guilty but may equally not have been and might have been an innocent member of society who was wrongly accused?
I’m not saying those men were innocent. I’m just saying that they might not have been guilty, and that is the reason the law needs to be upheld, sham though it often is:
Because for every suspected molester that is ‘dealt with’ by members of the public?
I’d say that at least half of them will later be changed from a ‘FILTHY EVIL PERVERT’ to an ‘oops, sorry. My bad.’
Thank you and goodnight.
Luci
Oct 5, 2006 at 9:45 am
Thanks for the implications that I’m unbalanced and uncivilized. You people sound like happy mini van drivers. :) I’ll bet you’re also fans of gun control & believe only the authorities should have guns.
In my humble opinion, if the father acted in murderous rage because his 5 year old daughter said she was molested, then he deserves jail time at the very least.
I’d like to believe the father did what he did because the girl described what had happened to her. A small child’s descriptions are not allegations.
The Zero Boss
Oct 5, 2006 at 9:47 am
Luci, you suggested that I’d been molested and LIKD it. If you want civility, you should model it yourself.
I suggest you read up on the McMartin Trial. The entire nation was ready to hang that family for being Satanic pedophiles…and in the end, all of the allegations evaporated into smoke. Adults can have an influencing effect on what children say, sometimes without even realizing it.
Alice: Great comment. :)
Newt
Oct 5, 2006 at 11:11 am
“I’m questioning human fallibility.” Now I’m not saying your right, My baby sister made alegation about a friend of mine. She went to the doctor and pycologist and found out that she was making it up for attention. she was 6 at the time
Sadly, the Law these days are just as foulable. If I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt someone did this to my kids Law or no Law I would at least Maim them severly. Sorry but Jail will never satisfy a parents will to subside their rage in most cases.
I’m not defending this guy and know only what little you wrote here but only his conscience will work for him.
Alice
Oct 6, 2006 at 6:26 am
“Luci”:
a) I did most certainly implicate that you were unbalanced and uncivilized. That is how I would describe someone who believes that a single person can be judge, jury and executioner before either evidence or proof have been ascertained.
b)I do not own a van.
c) I do not think authorities should be the only ones with guns. I think guns are a weapon that can be both needed and abused by both public and authorities alike.
d) Those descriptions could have (and I say ‘could have’. I’m not saying they did. Just that they ‘could have’) come from something the little girl had seen/heard from someone else talking about a completely different person/event, or even been seen/heard on TV.
e) I have still yet to see that this “abuse” has been proven. If so, God speed the guy. If not, what’s he going to say if (and I say ‘if’) it transpires the guy was innocent? “Oops”?
f) what I said stands.
g) have a nice day.
Mercurial Georgia
Oct 7, 2006 at 3:59 pm
Better than most that have appeared here but still Bad Parents:
People who turn a blind eye to the abuse of their children makes me sick, so the fathers here are definitely steps above in doing something about it. The problem is, the wrong something. While in their place, I would believe the child, I will be motivated by that belief to take it through the courts.
After all, shall you chose to go the Kill Them Yourself route, disregarding the possibility that the accused molesters are innocent, there are three possibilities:
1. You killed the accused molester and got away, this is unlikely.
2. The accused molester kills you, leaving your children without a father.
3. You get arrested and jailed for the killing of the accused molester, leaving your children without a father.
While the rage upon hearing any abuse of one’s children is immense, I expect people who have chosen to be parents to be capable of thinking long term, a father that is dead or in jail can’t protect his children against future threats, so keep your child close to you in the event something like this happens, and take it through the courts.
Sherry
Oct 11, 2006 at 2:34 pm
A childhood friend once told me how her fther had reacted when she told him that she had been raped by a trusted friend. The only reason the rapeist is still alive is because her uncle had literally tackled her dad and held him down for over an hour.
Her dad wasn’t a bad person. He just “lost it”. Thankfully, his brother was there to prevent him from causing more problems.
I think many men grow up in culture that stresses that a ‘real’ man protects his family. And then add in the sexual aspect and maybe a few beers. Mix it with anger and a sense of betrayal and you have all the working for homicidal intention.
Of course, that dosn’t mean you should act on it. And if you do you should be punished.
I wonder if the news constantly reporting about child molesters and how they do not get punished adequately is causing more people to go too far. Maybe gives them the notion that if they don’t take care of the problem no one will. I can see a parent tottering on the edge completly loosing it when they remember the news report about the child molester who got off with only six months in jail. As I said, doesn’t make it right. Just some thoughts.
Cops: Jonathan Edington’s Neighbor Did NOT Molest Daughter - from Parents Behaving Badly by Jay Andrew Allen
Oct 19, 2006 at 11:35 am
[…] I hate to say “I told you so”. When father Jonathan Edington was arrested for killing neighbor Barry James after Edington’s daughter alleged that James had molested her, I admonished vigilante parents who ignore due process and take the law into their own hands. When you encourage that kind of behavior, you make it that much more likely that someone is going to murder an innocent man. And that’s exactly what has happened in the Edington case. New Haven, Connecticut police announced today that Barry James never touched Edington’s 2-year-old daughter. According to police, James had none of the pornographic material in his house that’s typical of child molesters, and had zero prior history of sexual assault. […]
Sam
Oct 19, 2006 at 1:34 pm
From day one, I never thought James guilty. For me, it always came down to how in the world did James have access to this child. I’ve so many posts supporting Edington. It pretty much makes me sick. Again, his wife tell him his daughter was molested on starry nights. Edington’s first action should have been to go into the child’s bedroom. Does it look like a stranger could get in? And, again, we are to believe that James was able to come and go at will never being heard or detected in the home. He knew when the baby would be sleeping. The Edington’s never walked in on him.
Sorry, you unreasonable killing molestors supporters need to sit down. Use that other brain cell. Most people defending James pretty much agreed with you BUT THEY NEEDED PHYSICAL PLAUSABLE EVIDENCE FIRST.
Peosonally, I’d send Edington to jail for 40 years to life.
The Zero Boss
Oct 19, 2006 at 1:36 pm
I’d threaten 40 to life, and plea him down to 10 to 20. That would satisfy me.
theNag
Oct 28, 2006 at 9:22 am
Sorry I have a hard time keeping quiet on these issues.
“Her dad wasn’t a bad person. He just “lost it”. ”
I agree and I think the imperative part of this discussion to remember is that the child was listened to and believed. That does not happen enough. I do feel it the allegations need to be proven first before reacting in such a way but I do agree with vigilantism 100% when it comes to protecting children.
Anything that puts out the message to these creeps that this type of behavior will not be tolerated. I say do Whatever it Takes.
I feel for anyone who has been a victim of such atrocity and I wish them the evry best. The perpetrator of child exploitation or rape needs to be eliminated.
I Vote that we bring Capital Punishment to Canada strictly for crimes against children.
Thanks
viciousrumours
Oct 28, 2006 at 10:58 pm
Okay, here’s my two cents worth. As a child abuse survivor and survivor of sexual abuse I want to say this:
Not all people who are abused grow up to believe that vigilante justice is a good thing.
Now, let me say this:
As a parent, I would FEEL a very real urge to strike out at any person I thought had harmed my child. Then I would sit down, take a deep breath, call the police and report it. I would then immediatley seek psychiatric help for my family so we could deal with the ramifications of any consequences.
Georgia was right, no matter how angry you FEEL acting on those feelings only leaves the child to deal with the problem alone, and how does that help anyone.
Children should be listened to and all claims investigated, but action should never be taken until a claim can be proven.
*puts soapbox away* Thank you.
N
Nov 9, 2006 at 10:23 am
Do what does Kari think now that an innocent man was stabbed to death?
N
Nov 9, 2006 at 10:24 am
Kari = Luci
Derek
Apr 2, 2007 at 2:06 am
Now I may just be a dumb hick from Ga. and the only thing I know for sure is that I dont know much but it appears to me that we should all shut up and live our own lives injstead of talking about something that we really dont know about b/c we were’nt apart of it.
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Mimi
Aug 3, 2007 at 2:28 am
If anyone touched my daugher or sister, I would definately deal with it myself. I personally went through all the proper channels and nothing ever happened to the person that abused me. He is still out there. Possibly looking at, lurking around, waiting for your child. He will take her and then put his hands down her pants. You wouldn’t be able to live with what he’d do to her next. BUT HEY, atleast you went through the proper channels and got JUSTICE.
Idiots.
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