State of Oklahoma v. Morrow, Rise Jo (CF-2022-131)
Rise Morrow is charged with manslaughter in the 2nd degree, "Owner of a Dog that Kills."
Man Died After Bite Injuries
Claremore, OK - On May 9, reporter Lori Fullbright of Tulsa-based KOTV, published part of a charging document on her Facebook page. Otherwise, we have seen no other news reports about these charges or the multiple victims involved. Rise Jo Morrow (also known as Risa), who is in her 60s, was charged with second-degree manslaughter, "Owner of a Dog that Kills," on March 25, 2022. She was ordered to return to court on April 25th, but instead, Morrow failed to appear.
The date of the offense is November 26, 2020, when her pit bull with an excessive bite history, attacked three adults. One of them later died.
Since 2016, her male pit bull, named "Hurley," has attacked a half dozen people. At least three victims suffered serious injuries, requiring hospitalization and surgical procedures. All of these attacks occurred when the victim was visiting Morrow's home. Predictably, the dog's vicious attacks escalate over the years, culminating in the November 2020 attack involving three victims. One of those victims, an adult male, died in 2021. Sepsis and wounds contributed to his death.
In June 2016, Hurley attacked a man's face, a friend, who had been coming to her home. His injuries required surgery. In November 2016, the dog attacked another man who was visiting Morrow's home. "Those injuries were disfiguring." Morrow was issued a ticket for harboring a vicious dog. Between 2017 and 2018, the dog knocked a woman down who had come to Morrow's home to report a water leak. The dog stayed on top of the victim until Morrow called off the dog.
In November 2020, Hurley attacked three people in a multi-victim attack. The first victim, a woman, was bitten so badly, she required long-term hospitalization. Another woman, who tried to help the first victim, suffered multiple bites to her thigh and breast. The first victim's husband also intervened to help his wife; he suffered multiple bite wounds to his stomach and thighs. In January 2021, the husband returned to the hospital for his dog bite injuries that became septic and he died.
-June 2016: her pit bull named Hurley bit a man's face who was a friend who was coming to the Morrow home. His injuries required surgery.
-November 2016: the dog bit a man who was visiting. Those injuries were disfiguring and Morrow was issued a ticket for harboring a vicious dog.
-2017 or 2018: the dog knocked down a woman who was coming to the Morrow home to report a water leak and the dog stayed on top of the victim until Morrow called off the dog.
-November 2020: the dog bit several people.
-When a woman tried to help the victims, she was bitten on the thigh and breast.
-Another woman was bitten and her injuries required long term hospitalization.
-When that woman's husband tried to help her, he was bitten several times in the stomach and thighs.
-2021: That man went back to the hospital for his dog bite injuries that became septic and he died.
-The autopsy says sepsis and wounds contributed to his death. - Lori Fullbright
Morrow is being charged under Section § 21-717 of state code: "Owner of mischievous animal which kills person. If the owner of a mischievous animal, knowing its propensities, willfully suffers it to go at large, or keeps it without ordinary care, and such animal, while so at large or not confined, kills any human being who has taken all the precautions which the circumstances permitted, to avoid such animal, the owner is deemed guilty of manslaughter in the second degree."
During the dog's last vicious attack, Hurley mauled a married couple and a woman who tried to intervene. The wife in the married couple required long-term hospitalization. After receiving initial care for his wounds, her husband "returned" to the hospital because his bite injuries became infected. Sepsis and wounds were contributing factors to his death, according to the autopsy. The amount of misery this couple has suffered due to a known vicious dog cannot be calculated.
On April 26, 2022, a $40,000 bench warrant was issued for Morrow for failure to appear in court. On May 10, a judge issued a forfeiture for Morrow's initial bail amount of $20,000. The bondsman was ordered to deposit the $20,000 to the court within 91 days. However, Morrow was located that very day and held in custody at the Rogers County Jail, according to court filings. Her next scheduled court date is an arraignment on May 16. The court appointed OIDS as her counsel.1
Infection-Related Deaths
Our nonprofit certainly includes sepsis and infection-related dog bite injury deaths involving vicious dog attacks that result in severe injuries that received medical treatment. Currently, we exclude "untreated severe dog bites (sepsis)" cases, but these "may be added to our data at a future time," we state on multiple pages. Furthermore, this dog owner is facing manslaughter charges due to this man's death. "Sepsis and wounds" contributed to his death, according to charging documents.
View the DogsBite.org Google State Map: Oklahoma Fatal Pit Bull Attacks.Related articles:
05/12/22: 2020 Dog Bite Fatality: Man Dies After Violent Pit Bull Mauling in Tulsa; Owner Charged
04/27/22: 2022 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman Fatally Mauled by Multiple Dogs in Oklahoma County
Law enforcement departments across the United States should release consistent "baseline" information to the media and the public after each fatal dog mauling, including these items.
Regarding sepsis and infection-related dog bite injuries, dear Kyleen Waltman has been suffering w infection too. Including the ongoing potential loss of a leg.
Why do clueless podcasters show their babies being licked by large dogs?
Pitbull IN my large grocery store a few nights ago. I raised a ruckus.
Store manager and door “security” guard told me pitbulls are not dangerous and are friendly. I just managed to sputter pitbulls have the highest kill rate of all dogs and gave them a percentage. The manager told me he had been to vet school. I countered with I had done fieldwork on grizzly bears and pronghorn antelope.
Female owner in her 40’s old enough to know better.
Six months ago I saw 2 pitbulls in my town for the first time. The grocery store pitbull is #7 of the 8 pitbulls I have now seen locally. Who would have believed A PITBULL IN A GROCERY STORE!?! Or a pitbull in an aircraft cabin!?! America has gone bazonkers!
NYC is just as bad w multiple leashes on packs of dogs including pitbulls being herded by a solo dogwalker.
About a month ago a woman had her mange-inflicted pitbull in the shopping cart in Sam’s Club. It was barking loudly in the cheese isle. I heard as I was just entering the store (far away). Customers and workers were complaining to each other and not at all pleased that it was there.
I don’t like to go to Petsmart because there are so many dogs, especially pitbulls there. What is most irritating is that they use trips to the store as a form of socialization. They take their dogs all over the store including the cat isles and they’re clearly not shopping. So there I am shopping for cat food, struggling to read the labels without my reading glasses so my picky cat stops loosing weight and some asshole is letting their dog come up to me and sniff my leg. I turned and the owner has an expectant smile that I’m going to tell them they have a nice dog and start petting it. I can’t tell you how many times I have gotten dog slobber on my pant leg minding my own business in that store.
At this point in my life I am making many new adult friends. I go out of my way to avoid making friends with anyone who has a dog.
I’m with you, Christy. As soon as I find out that someone has a dog, I move him or her to the “not gonna be friends” category.
Furthermore, I do not permit anyone to bring a dog onto this property. I don’t care if it’s a service dog, a living teddy bear, or whatever. No dogs allowed. Period.
Same here, Quiet Neighbor.
Sick of dealing with the doggie demented whose main purpose in life revolves around dogs and everything else takes a back seat.
Rise Morrow could care less if her dog gobbled up every person it laid eyes on. She doesn’t care.
Not all dog owners are like her. But I’ll bet close to all of them will make excuses for their hound attacking any person it happens upon.
As for the lonely lap dog owners? Again, I don’t share the interest. Not going to spend half the evening in ecstatic delight over watching Snippers chase a tennis ball around the living room.
No thanks. Just not feeling the fellowship vibe happening.
She was actually devastated, but not enough to do the right thing until the day of my husband and my attack and she no longer had a choice as animal control, after 4 or so yes finally did their job and had it put down.
Christy, please tell me the dog at your feet was not a pitbull while you were in Petsmart.
Your encounter at Sam’s Club warrants a complaint email or phone call to the CEO of Sam’s Club. That’s what I am working on given my grocery store encounter.
I am going to do the same w Costco which has been letting large dogs, including jumpers, into the store.
I am approaching this on the basis of the rights of people shopping for critical supplies: Food. I am also going to print an article on near-death attacks by pitbulls to give to disbelievers in store management.
There has been a marked loosening in stores allowing dogs inside since the pandemic.
Getting sniffed up in petsmart has happened. Few times. Other breeds, too. When I see a pity in there I go the other way.
I was pretty pissed about Sam’s. What I didn’t get was video footage. I will do that at some point. I’m sure she will come back.
Do we know where Hurley is now?
He was put down after a total 8 attacks. I am the wife of the man killed by this dog. My son also had his finger bitten off and had to have it surgically reattached.
He was put down after a total of 8 attacks. I am the victim of his last bite. My husband was the one to pass away from the attack. He also bit off my son’s finger having to have it surgically reattached in a separate attack.
I know someone is going to say hindsight is 20/20, but this death looked totally preventable had the authorities taken the proper steps when the warning signs were there. After two horrible attacks, Ms. Morrow was issued a ticket??? Seriously? The dog was not removed and this lady was not held responsible, except for that “ticket”? The dog attacks again, and nothing happens? It takes a death (which should NEVER HAVE HAPPENED0, but the lady is charged with anything. Good God, this is both sad and disgusting.
I meant to say “before the lady is charged with anything” rather than “but the lady is charged with anything.”
This was the death of my husband.
I want to know who paid for and who is still paying for all the various medical bills this dog has caused overwhelming past 7 yes (is this p.o.s. animal still alive?)
In this case, hindsight is 2016! How the heck did this go on so long? SIX life altering injuries, and one death. This is insanity. And as far as dogs in grocery stores et al, I’m apoplectic when I see one in a cart or having a shakedown in a storm of fur and dander next to the salad/soup bar. 99% are NOT service animals. I always ask the befuddled and cowed store manager, what about people who are highly allergic or simply have a fear of dogs? This fear is exacerbated by the explosion of pits and weekly attacks in the headlines. This heartless, mentally ill owner belongs in a jail cell and her viscous mutt should have been disposed of a long time ago.
I live outside waco tx and there has been a recent increase in pitfalls in stores. There was a new Atwoods store opening a couple of months ago and I went with my mother and some crazy older b**** (yes that term is spot on because she was endangering the lives of everyone in that store and parking lot)… anyway the dog was huge and pulling the woman-well I was in a tall aircast walking boot and crutches and because pitfalls seek out and obviously sense weakness like the elderly , babies and small children, and mentally challenged and physically challenged (that’s me at the moment) I was justifiably uncomfortable which the dog probably also sensed (to be honest I was afraid for malice because no -there is no way I could have stayed upright or used the crutches effectively to protect myself if that dog would have lunged at me or knocked me down. The best case scenario if it had attacked me would have probably been life threatening injury and or disfigurement and God bless kyleen Walkman and jaqueline Durand and others like them but I’m not mentally positive or tough enough to make it thru that I would rather die than live thru that)
So I told my mother I was going to go outside and wait for her on a bench right outside the door-because I couldn’t make it to the car
Well she rolled her eyes and sighed -like I was being crazy or unreasonable
But I definitely agree with u that dogs have no place in stores especially grocery stores for obvious reasons and I understand blind ppl with an orange and white stick can benefit from a seeing eye dog but imo they should be limited to golden retrievers full blood with papers
If service dogs were limited to 1 specific breed then pit nutters would have no true gripe because all breeds but 1 would also be not allowed
I know alot of breeds are appropriate but designating 1 breed only could nip all the arguments in the bud and make public places safer for ever1
Lock the dog up with her.
Under one condition: When it goes pit the prison docs don’t try to put her back together again.
After the pit finishes her off (I am picturing somthing like happens in the game Mortal Kombat) then they can put it down.
Great idea! I like it. That’s probably as close to “an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” level of justice that could be achieved. I believe in letting punishments fit the crime but my opinions are very unpopular with most ppl in the world today-in society today almost worldwide, the attitude is to shift blame and deny responsibility. But I guess if ppl were held accountable for the actions of their dogs this blog wouldn’t even be necessary.
Thank you. I am the victim and wife of the man who was killed.
Smart people NEVER EVER go to a home where a pit bull resides, no matter how friendly the owner insists it is. Cases like this are why.
Too bad after the first attack the dog wasn’t put down, or the owner wasn’t at least required to have warning signs around the property.
This is another case where AC should be charged with criminal negligence. It’s high time the public start demanding that “Control” be put back into Animal Control.
A few big lawsuits should do the trick. For example, this one, which was covered right here on DBO.
This is the headline to use in your search for the story:
Lawsuit Filed After Los Angeles Animal Services Failed to Disclose a Dog’s Bite History and the Dog Viciously Attacked
Story date was August 23, 2021.
Maybe. But my county AC was found responsible in this https://caselaw.findlaw.com/wa-court-of-appeals/1641921.html, and then just a few years later, this happened https://blog.dogsbite.org/2013/11/2013-dog-bite-fatality-spanaway-woman-dies-after-pit-bull-attack.html. And still Pierce County, WA AC doesn’t respond to dog complaints.
Caz, Ranger Rob…what a HERO!
I’m sorry to hear about your county’s inability to do its duty to CONTROL berserk animals and PROTECT humans.
At some point you have to wonder did Mark Kumpf train every AC officer in the country?
Then I realize most AC officers were trained by the outfit that trained Mark,
This explains a lot.
Yeah, and isn’t Mark making six figures somewhere still? Why wouldn’t every AC in the country want to emulate him?
I am the wife of the man who was killed by Hurley. This dog took off the back of my leg, and in a 2016 attack took of my sons finger that had to be surgically reattached. This dog had a total of 8 attacks on it. This woman was my best friend but quit talking to me after the attacks. She was charged and subsequently found guilty of manslaughter 2. I miss my husband desperately. I did sue the animal control for the city and prevailed. The city filled suit against Rise. Nothing will bring my loving husband back. It wasn’t fair, it should have never happened. Something has to be done to stop these attacks. My son said they all need to be castrated and allow the beef to die out. I agree. Nothing good comes from these dogs. I can’t walk my little dogs down the street because I am afraid the pit bull at the end of the street will attack, I can’t go into pet smart because they allow dogs in there and a pit bull was allowed to jump on me after my husband’s death and I had a massive panic attack and break down. There was even in in Sam’s with it’s owner and I stood frozen. The damage goes way beyond the actual bite. My heart aches for the people in each and every one of these stories.