Father sentenced for killing man who broke into his daughter's bathroom

Phoenix dad pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2018 death of man who followed daughter into convenience store stall

A father in Arizona has been sentenced to eight years in prison after admitting he killed a man who followed his daughter into a convenience store bathroom stall.

Melvin Harris pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges after beating the man to death on 2 August 2018.

The case attracted international attention and outcry, as people rushed to Harris' defence for protecting his daughter or condemned what they saw as his violent overreaction.

Around 11.30pm that night, Harris drove to a Phoenix convenience store to pick up his teenage daughter and her two friends.

When the girls left the store, they told Harris a man had tried to break into a locked stall in the women's bathroom.

She alerted the staff at the QuikTrip, and a security guard kicked the man out of the store.

Harris' daughter pointed to the man, identified as Leon Armstrong, and Harris demanded a "take care of the situation or he would do it himself," according to court records.

But Harris walked back to his car and drove to a gravel-covered area to face Mr Armstrong.

Witnesses said Harris knocked him down and repeatedly kicked and stomped him as Mr Armstrong moaned and writhed on the ground.

He was taken to a nearby hospital and treated for a broken nose and severe brain injury before dying a few days later.

When police approached Harris at his home, he admitted to his involvement and was arrested for second-degree murder, according to police reports.

He pleaded guilty to a lesser manslaughter charge in November.