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21 thoughts on “State Supreme Court Reinstates Conviction In 2006 Fatal Dog Mauling Case

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  1. How come you never hear about a pack of poodles attacking and killing a person? It’s always a pack of bulldogs, pit bulls and, or their mixes. The only other dog breed you hear about in a fatal pack attack is the wolf-hybrid, and these dogs are outlawed nearly everywhere.

    The pit bull, bulldog packs have been killing people since at least 1945. Why do people let it continue?

    https://blog.dogsbite.org/2008/11/part-i-doretta-zinke-39-killed-by-9-pit.html

  2. The dog was stolen because the dog was worth money to dog fighters

    And why wasn’t that dog promptly euthanized? Did someone at animal control enable this theft?

    If the community had dealt with this unlicensed dog fighter breeder properly, this killing would never have happened.

    There need to some laws pertaining to dog breeders, because the dog fighters exploit the lack of laws and they flourish. And people die.

  3. Thank you for the info, bitbypit

    I have read of some situations where it is believed that someone at the animal control shelter helped the dog owner steal the do, particularly if they were to be euthanized

    Perhaps impounds should be immediately microchipped upon receipt. It would be great to have that microchip contain a tracking device, but that technology is well in the future I am afraid

  4. South Carolina seems to be fairly aggressive in pursuing Manslaughter convictions against these failed lion tamers.

    I think they have gone after the last three failed lion tamers.

  5. It is beyond ridiculous to claim that these dogs killed the boy because they were “hungry.”

    Pit bulls and related breeds dismember. This is what they do.

    When the dogs were killing chickens, the dogs needed to be confiscated as dangerous dogs. They weren’t.

    This county has blood on its hands for failing to cope with dangerous dogs.

  6. The latest article doesn’t even mention the breed name. They must have worked REALLY HARD back in 2006 to carefully name the dogs “bulldog-boxer” mixes to the media. You don’t STEAL bulldog-boxer mixes from a pound; you steal a pit bull for breeding or fighting purposes. This case is suspicious to be sure. You can smell the protection of these dogs all over the place…A pack of aggressive bulldog-boxer mixes (or rather pit bull-mixes), particularly if bred for the purposes of fighting hardly need the reason of hunger to attack and kill a child.

  7. Prosecution has rested its case:
    http://www.scnow.com/scp/news/local/pee_dee/article/witness_in_fatal_dog_mauling_trial_says_dogs_were_aggressive/30285/

    Taylor Hayes, Collins’ son, testified each person in their family had a dog and each animal was well cared for. They had several dogs including his dog Sarge, Two Toes, Three Fingers and Cody who was “everybody’s dog,” Taylor said. Matthew was his best friend and the two would run in the yard with the dogs, he said, Cody would even jump on the trampoline with them. His father never mistreated the animals and would talk to them like they were human, Taylor said.

    Hard to say what the jury will think of this one. They certainly won’t forget the photos of the boy. Since the dogs attacked on owner property, it may be that the prosecution MUST prove the dogs were neglected…

  8. Unlike most of you, I knew Matthew. He would sit with me in church. I was in VA the day Matthew died. Bentley Collins should be responsible for his death due to the fact that he did not have a fence around his yard. I have been by his house on several occassions and I know his yard is big enough to house those 6 dogs, but he should have had a fence. For me this case is personal. Matthew was one of the sweetest boys I know. He left behind 2 older brothers and a younger sister. Some people are asking about the six dogs. The one that was stolen was the only female. If I’m not mistakened they were pit bull.

  9. “The one that was stolen was the only female.” A producer. Breeder. For his pit bull breeding business

    What did the county think he was breeding those pit bulls for?

    Jenn, unfortunately a fence is not enough. Pit bulls dig under fences, climb, or get out when someone leaves a gate open.

    And the fact that these dogs were unspayed and unneutered made it all worse!

    Pit bulls don’t belong anywhere near children, adults, pets, livestock- which means they don’t belong in our society.

    There is no fence built that will contain dogs that will do anything to kill.

    And pit bulls are bred to kill, no matter what the breeders and dog fighters say.

    It is sad that your county does not have better dangerous dog laws. Those dogs should have been confiscated when they were killing chickens. Maybe people can get together and get those laws passed so another child does not have to die.

    The county shares some guilt for this terrible death, which was preventable and predictable. These dogs had shown they had problems!

    These dogs, for all the gooey stories, are not pets. They are breeding stock for a terrible business which the public has mostly learned about in the past few years.

    And the people who own pit bulls are not considerate of others. They put other people and pets and risk.

  10. “This is the first time we have learned that Bentley did not even have a fence to restrain his dogs.”

    Big problem in many Southern states. There are no or few animal control laws.

  11. If you watch the video, the reporter claims that the Perp obtained more Pit Bulls last year, and that they were harassing neighbors!

    MALICE!

  12. When will this county understand that this man is running a BUSINESS?

    People knew that Michael Vick was involved in fighting and breeding fighting dogs for years. It was a business.

    When questioned, he just used the usual “I’m breeding pets” or “they are show dogs” and the authorities look the other way.

    These people are hiding in plain sight.

    If there just were some rules for breeding businesses- some regulations, requirements, licensing, inspections- this kind of thing can be dealt with.

    These people are also making massive amounts of money, not declaring income or paying taxes, and robbing their own communities and states.

    They go to some of these southern states because there just seems to be an utter ignorance of what this industry is up to, or even authority figures involved in it

    Innocent people and pets suffer!

  13. His neighbors need to get the video cameras going. They need to show the world what they are dealing with, and the inadequacy of local authorities to protect them

    They have to fight for their kids’ lives!!

  14. Bulldogs ARE pit bulls and Boxers are one third pit.
    No matter which breed you call them, they ARE pit bulls!

  15. Well another mankilling pit breeding operation.

    Just like:

    The Muncie piticide 2 months ago
    Tanner Monk
    The Roubidoux visting grandfather
    The Taylor boy from last year
    Charles Smallwood

    I’m sure there are many others. The Pit Community is not horrified for some reason.

  16. Appeal filed in dog mauling trial

    NewsChannel 15 has learned a Dillon County man convicted in the death of a 10 year old boy has filed an appeal of his five year prison sentence and conviction.

    Last week, a jury found Bentley Collins guilty of involuntary manslaughter and owning dangerous animals. In 2006, Collins’ six dogs mauled to death, 10 year old John Matthew Davis as he walked home. Collins has asked to be released from jail on bond while his appeal is pending. No word on if that will happen or when his appeal will be heard.

    http://www.carolinalive.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=256322

  17. Convicted Dillon dog owner transferred to state prison
    By Jody Barr
    WBTW News 13 Reporter
    Published: February 6, 2009
    ———-
    The Dillon man convicted of involuntary manslaughter and keeping unconfined dangerous animals in the mauling death of 10-year-old Matthew Davis in 2006 now sits in a state department of corrections facility in Columbia.

    A Dillon County jury convicted Bentley last Friday after a five day trial after investigators said his six pit bull mix dogs attacked Matthew Davis. Collins spent nearly a week in the Dillon County Detention Center awaiting an opening in the state prison system.

    Thursday, Collins was booked and assigned a temporary room at the Kirkland Correction Institution in Columbia. From there, corrections officials will assign Collins to a state prison within the next several weeks…

    Collins’ projected parole date is Jan. 28, 2011 and his projected release date is set for Feb. 3, 2012, according to the state department of corrections.

    http://www.scnow.com/scp/news/local/pee_dee/article/convicted_dillon_dog_owner_transferred_to_state_prison/32079/

  18. bentley collins is a monster an should have got life in prison,this is not the first time he has children,i am from kentucky an i no him well he is a monster an likes to hurt children.

  19. bentley collins is a child molester, i have known him all my life,this is not the first time he hurt a child.

  20. Collins' time has been served (it appears). I guess the new trial is to remove the guilty conviction. Sorta doubt that is going to happen…

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