Man Beats Another Man to Death When He Tried to Open Daughter's Bathroom Door

Melvin Harris III beat Leon Armstrong to death in August 2018 after he attempted to open a locked bathroom stall his daughter was using at the time. Harris claimed that he did not intend to kill the man with the punch, instead, he was protecting his daughter from a perceived threat. Through a plea deal with prosecutors, Harris pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to eight years in prison.

The Incident

The incident occurred about 11:30 pm when Harris drove to a QuickTrip convenience store to pick up his daughter and her friend. While he waited in the parking lot for his daughter, Armstrong came up to his vehicle and asked him for money. Harris told police that he gave the man some change and headed inside the store.

Meanwhile, Harris’s daughter and her friend were already inside the store using the restroom. Armstrong walked into the women’s bathroom and attempted to open the bathroom stall.

Harris did not see the incident. His daughter told him what had happened when they came out of the bathroom.

Daughter Identifies Man

Harris’s daughter came out to the car and told her dad the man attempted to open her bathroom stall door. Harris got out of the car and went inside the store. His daughter pointed out the man. Harris then told a security guard what happened and warned that he needed to take care of the situation before he handled it himself.

And that is what he did.

Though reports state that the security guard assured him that they would “take care of the situation,” Harris did not wait for that to happen.

Harris punched Armstrong in the face, knocking him to the ground. The man did not stop the attack once Armstrong fell, however, and continued to pummel the man with a flurry of punches.

Harris returned to his car and drove home after the attack. That’s where police later found him when they took him into custody.

Armstrong Dies at Hospital

Armstrong was unresponsive when transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. He never regained consciousness and died from the injuries several days later. Armstrong suffered a traumatic brain injury and broken nose in the attack.

Original Charges

Police originally charged Harris with second-degree murder. He admitted that he punched the man, sending him “curling into a ball” onto the ground, but denied kicking or “stomping” him after he was down, as witnesses claimed. Harris also stated to police that Armstrong “swung at him first.”

Harris is currently housed at ASPC Florence in Florence, Arizona. He has a projected prison release date of 7/25/2025.

Resources & Additional Information

https://www.newsweek.com/phoenix-arizona-quiktrip-melvin-harris-bathroom-stall-murder-daughter-1074716

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