The estranged adult son of Mayor Rob Franke of Cedar Hills, Texas was just shot to death Christmas Eve while committing a home invasion:

A Cedar Hill homeowner fatally shot an intruder who broke into his home shortly before midnight Christmas Eve, authorities say.

Joshua Slaven, 31, was pronounced dead at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Dallas County medical examiner.

The city of Cedar Hill’s website identifies Slaven as the son of Mayor Rob Franke.

The homeowner, Gareth Long, was questioned by police but not arrested. The standard practice is to refer such cases to a grand jury, which is likely to decline to indict Long under the state’s castle doctrine.

“It’s very unfortunate that Mr. Long was forced into a position of having to defend himself, his wife and his home from a nighttime intruder,” said Chris Knox, Long’s attorney. “Nobody ever asks to be placed in such a life-threatening position, but Mr. Long’s actions were absolutely justified and completely protected under Texas law.”

The story is tragic for Mr. Long who apparently gave Slaven multiple warnings before finally firing to defend his family.

The story is tragic for Mayor Franke as well, obviously, and sadly, it isn’t his first close encounter with gun deaths in recent years.  Franke loaned a gun to a fellow Texas mayor in 2010, who then used it to murder her daughter and commit suicide. Franke didn’t know at the time that Coppell Mayor Jayne Peters was suffering from depression and financial problems after the 2008 death of her husband from cancer.