Miguel and Erik Cerda, two brother who took the law into their own hands on a brutal child molester, decided on a trial rather than a plea deal yesterday. The budding heroes (?) face charges that they tortured convicted San Jose child molester Avelino Rodriguez. "The man was attacked after duct-taping the mouth of an 8-year-girl so she couldn't scream as he sexually molested her last Thanksgiving," reports NY Daily News. "Molester Avelino Rodriguez was whipped, punched and burned with a cigarette in retaliation for the incident."

Avelino Rodriguez received 22 years in prison for the sexual assault.

Miguel, who "considers himself a stepfather to the abused girl," and Erik both turned down a two-year deal. If convicted, the brothers could have faced a mandatory sentencing of seven years to life in prison. Meaning the convicted molester could have conceivably spent less time prison. However, according to the Mercury News, "[u]nder the negotiated resolution in the controversial case, prosecutor Patrick Graber...removed the exposure to life behind bars for both men. He reduced Erik Cerda's sentence to a range of two to seven years and Miguel Cerda's term to two to eight years."

A Facebook page supporting the brothers has been set up. So far, though, only six members have joined.

[NYDaily]