She sparked a national debate after killing her son’s accused molester

George Nikitin / AP file
Ellie Nesler in July 1993 in Sonora, Calif. She sparked a national debate about vigilantism after killing her son's accused molester in a courtroom. She died Friday of cancer at age 56.

updated 2 hours, 13 minutes ago
FRESNO, Calif. - Ellie Nesler, who sparked a national debate about vigilantism after killing her son's accused molester in a courtroom in 1993, has died of cancer. She was 56.

Nesler died Friday morning at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, according to hospital spokeswoman Phyllis Brown. She had battled breast cancer since 1994.

Nesler made headlines when she shot Daniel Driver five times in the head in a Tuolumne County courtroom during a break in his preliminary hearing for allegedly molesting four boys, including her then-6-year-old son William, at a Christian camp. Some hailed her for exacting her own justice, while others condemned her for taking the law into her own hands.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28426495/?gt1=43001

She's an example of a real american hero, Rest in Peace.