Harvard Graduate, Doctor in Residency Owns the Dogs
Jocelyn Winfrey was killed by two pit bull-type dogs in New Haven, Connecticut.
Alderman Explores Ideas
UPDATE 07/07/16: The two dogs that brutally attacked Jocelyn Winfrey on June 20, inflicting catastrophic injuries, were put down yesterday. Winfrey succumbed to her injuries and died on June 27. Yesterday also marked the first public statement by Yale University since the attack. Karen Peart, a spokeswoman for Yale, told the New Haven Register that at the time of the attack the owner of the dogs, Dr. Hamilton Hicks, was "on leave" from the school and continues to be.
For the record, Yale University made its first public statement about the incident 16 days after the gruesome attack and 9 days after Winfrey died. The attack was so horrific one witness told the New Haven Independent, still shaken days later, “All the flesh was ripped away from her calf. The artery was just hanging there." The witness added, "Half of her face was basically bitten off. She looked like she was dead." Before dying, Winfrey lost both eyes and underwent a leg amputation.
Coincidentally the Yale Daily News published its first story about the attack yesterday as well. They are not publishing any comments.1
Alderman Brian Wingate lives near Hicks' home. After hearing screams, he rushed to the scene to help. Witnessing the two dogs brutally maim Winfrey fundamentally altered Wingate, who has pledged to explore changes in the dog ordinance. During yesterday's Board of Alders meeting, Wingate's order to hold a public workshop relating to dog attacks, vicious dogs and ownership responsibilities was passed. Wingate said he wanted the meeting "sooner rather than later."
The Soul Searching Begins
What can people like Wingate, and the other witnesses and first responders haunted by images of the attack, do at this time? What can the community do, which recoiled in shock, grief and outrage that such a horrific act could occur in their community with no repercussions? The act was an unprovoked savage attack by two pit bull-type dogs in Hicks' private fenced-in yard. He was right beside her and could not stop his dogs in a maiming scene matched only by "Hannibal Lecter."
In 2013, the Connecticut legislature passed a preemption bill barring municipalities from adopting breed-specific laws, including mandatory pit bull sterilization ordinances, which is the very least city officials can do to help protect public safety (Both of Hicks' dogs were male and at least one was unaltered.). Because the vicious attack occurred on private property, at least in this state, New Haven Police said no criminal charges applied. So, Dr. Hicks' has no criminal culpability.
The short answer to our question of "what can be done" after Winfrey's death is "not much." State legislators intended this result in 2013.
We greatly admire and respect Wingate and hope that his public meeting can lead to concrete results. These results could simply be an honest discussion about bull-baiting and fighting breeds to raise awareness of the gravely disfiguring injuries they inflict. Also how pit bulls and their close relatives "repeatedly" attack their victims and often refuse to stop even after great violence is inflicted upon them. This is why traumatic injuries and eventually death ensued in this case.
Still the soul searching continues. There is no one to hold criminally responsible for this deadly attack due to completely insufficient criminal laws. There are no adequate municipal tools to prevent similar attacks either. Hicks' can acquire two new "American bulldog-mixes" tomorrow and start this process all over again. A result state legislators also intended in 2013. At the very least, Winfrey's family should have civil recourse because Connecticut is a solid strict liability state.
06/27/16: Victim Did Not Survive
A 53-year old New Haven woman who suffered life-altering injuries after a violent attack by two pit bull-type dogs last week has died. Alderman Brian Wingate, who witnessed part of the grisly mauling, confirmed Jocelyn Winfrey's death Monday evening. On June 20, Winfrey and the dogs' owner, Dr. Hamilton Hicks, returned to his home. After they entered into his fenced-in yard, his two dogs brutally attacked Winfrey. Hicks attempted to intervene, but he could not stop his dogs.
Wingate previously described the attack as producing "Hannibal Lecter" style injuries. "The attack was really, really horrific." - Alderman Brian Wingate
Winfrey has been in a medically induced coma since the attack. On Monday, doctors removed her from life support. Doctors previously stated they did not know if she would survive and that her injuries were even worse than what Charla Nash suffered after being attacked by a chimpanzee. Police have consistently stated that both dogs involved in Winfrey's attack are pit bulls. However, Animal Control Officer Joseph Manganiello said the dogs are likely "American bulldog-mixes."
Dr. Hamilton Hicks, who is in residency at the Yale School of Medicine for psychiatry, was charged with a misdemeanor for possession of crack cocaine after the horrific attack. Hicks earned his undergraduate degree in psychology from Harvard University then attended medical school at the University of Miami in Miami-Dade County. That is where Hicks acquired the dogs, according to Manganiello, a county with a longstanding pit bull ban that refuses to recognize pit bull-mixes.
Five people have been killed by variances of Miami-Dade's "breed labeling game," primarily American bulldog-mixes, since August 2014.
Manganiello also refused to allow any New Haven news reporters to view or photograph the dogs while they are under quarantine. When asked why the dogs butchered Winfrey and attacked their owner, Manganiello said, "I would believe they were protecting their own property.” It has already been reported that Winfrey was familiar with the dogs. These Miami-Dade County "American bulldog-mixes" attacked their Ivy League owner too. Hicks surrendered both dogs for euthanasia.
Doctor Walks Away Scot-Free
In Connecticut, as in many states, unless there is evidence that at least one of the dogs had been adjudicated as dangerous previously, there will be no criminal charges. The deadly pit "bulldog" mauling of Winfrey that occurred on the dog owner's property falls under the loathed loophole we refer to as, Defeated Prosecutor Syndrome. In other words, Dr. Hicks has zero culpability in her death and can acquire new pit bulls or Miami-Dade County "American bulldog-mixes" at any time.
06/23/16: Mauling Victim Identified
The victim has been identified as Jocelyn Winfrey, 53-years old, who remains in a medically induced coma in "extremely grave" condition after two pit bulls brutally attacked her Monday. Winfrey has lost both of her eyes, her right leg and may suffer an arm amputation as well. Doctors do not know if she will survive. Doctors previously stated that Winfrey's traumatic pit bull injuries are even worse than what Charla Nash endured after being attacked by a chimpanzee in 2009.
Winfrey was familiar with Hicks' two dogs. She also recently posted a photo to her Facebook page posing with her own pit bull, named Butter.
Police have arrested the owner of the dogs, Dr. Hamilton Hicks, 3-days after the vicious attack on charges of misdemeanor possession of crack cocaine. Hicks is currently in residency at the Yale School of Medicine for psychiatry. Hicks earned his psychology degree from Harvard University in 2001 then attended the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. Police say they could add additional charges related to the violent pit bull mauling, especially if Winfrey dies.
06/22/16: Drug Possession Charge
The New Haven Independent reports that police have charged the 37-year old Harvard-trained doctor who owns the attacking dogs with illegally possessing crack cocaine at the time of the vicious mauling. The horrific pit bull attack, described by a witness as "Hannibal Lecter" style, occurred Monday night in the yard of a New Haven home. The doctor and a female friend had returned to his home and entered into his fenced-in yard when his pit bulls savagely attacked her.
“All the flesh was ripped away from her calf. The artery was just hanging there,” another witness recalled, still shaken days later. “Half of her face was basically bitten off. She looked like she was dead. She had to lose two gallons of blood, easy. The front sidewalk in front of the house was covered with blood.” - New Haven Independent
The female victim, identified only as Jocelyn, suffered the loss of both eyes, her right leg and doctors are trying to save one of her arms, according to Assistant Police Chief Anthony Campbell. "She lost both eyes. She has severe facial injuries. She’s in extremely critical condition," Campbell said Wednesday. Campbell also said that doctors are calling her injuries even worse than the ghastly chimpanzee attack of Charla Nash in 2009, who later underwent a full face transplant.
06/22/16: Horrific Pit Bull Attack
New Haven, CT - Last night we became aware of a nightmarish pit bull mauling at a home on Ella T Grasso Boulevard in New Haven. The owner of the two pit bulls, identified as Hamilton Hicks, entered his fenced-in property with a female friend. As soon as the two were inside, his dogs viciously attacked her. When Hicks intervened, his pit bulls attacked him as well. New Haven Alderman, Brian Wingate, is a neighbor of Hicks and described what he saw in media interviews.
My understanding is that she was a friend -- friends don't let friends get eaten up by their dogs. When I say, "I’ve never seen nothing like this in my life"...
It plays in my head, to be honest with you. Her thighs, her ankles, her arms, part of her face, her ears, were honestly mauled. I could see the bones on her body, in reference to her thighs, her legs, her ankles and her face. It was so bloody, along with mud from the dog prints. Also the owner was muddy from the dog prints ... It was unbelievable...
I've never seen nothing like this. I have only seen this on Hannibal Lecter, in the movies. This was really, really horrific. - Alderman Brian Wingate
Hicks is currently in residency at the Yale School of Medicine. By today, Hicks had removed his Facebook profile. According to other online profiles, Hicks graduated from Harvard in 2001, attended the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine then began a residency in psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine. The primary teaching hospital for the school is Yale-New Haven Hospital, where both victims were transported after the "Hannibal Lecter" style attack.
The two dogs are described as a pit bull and American bulldog. Media and neighbors captured grainy photos of one of the dogs last night.
It is unknown if the woman, named Jocelyn, will survive. On the way to Yale-New Haven Hospital last night, she "coded twice" en route -- she underwent cardiac arrest twice. One commenter (gram14) on the New Haven Independent article last night stated in part, "This young woman lost both her ears, one eye (possibly the other) extreme facial, neck and throat injuries and severe extremity injuries. Due to throat injuries she was not able to be intubated when she coded twice."
Hamilton Hicks has no excuses for his ownership of pit bulls, a dog breed that kills more people than all breeds combined. He has no excuses for not having access to the many medical studies about the horrific nature of pit bull injuries, some studies compare them to shark attack injuries. Hicks has no excuses for not knowing (or caring about) the purpose-bred history of the breed: bull-baiting and dogfighting. The poor choices by Hicks have cost this woman the rest of her life.
Like most pit bull owners, Hicks could not stop his dogs while they viciously mauled Jocelyn leaving her unrecognizable and nearly dead. Hicks, who was in residency to help individuals with psychiatric disorders, frankly needs his own head examined. Recall the types of people who typically own pit bulls. The Independent is now running a vote on whether to ban pit bulls. This is a moot point. Connecticut passed a preemption bill in 2013 that bars cities from regulating pit bulls.
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04/20/15: 2015 First Quarter Report: Municipalities Beat Back State Preemption Bills...
06/24/15: Anchorage Pit Bull Attack: The Mechanics of a "Classic" Unprovoked Pit Bull Attack
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05/05/09: Alexandra Semyonova: Heritability of Behavior in the Abnormally Aggressive Dog
Like most low knowledge pit owners I'll bet this dope didn't even have a break stick. There is no need for pit bulls. Ban the breed, end its deed.
I guess you could call this "career ending" for the doc? Busted for crack and his dogs eviscerated a woman right in front of him. It is unclear what type of patient would ever want him as a shrink.
What do you want to bet that the pibble-wibbles are RESCUES? And, as we're well aware, RESCUES are wonderful and we must admire the marvelous people who save them.
An animal who's attack can leave a grown woman without limbs and eyesight should not be a pet. End of story. Canada is taking the right steps. When will the U.S.?
Prayers for this woman. They are certainly needed.
Bailey I completely agree.
We live on a large piece or property now surrounded by McMansions. We are basically an island. Yesterday my husband came quickly out of his office yelling that he saw a "a Pit Bull go by his window". We went into overdirve/high alert- have livestock I immediately told him to grab a gun, but he was headed out the door. I was frantic to get out and told him to have his phone ready to call the police. We were looking around the ranch and suddenly my husband said "oh its a Bobcat with a squirrel". Our anxiety went from 100 down to zero.
You see we trust a wild animal because they ARE predictable. We do not trust a pit bull an alleged pet.
Very true. The fact that they have that capacity it is ridiculous that anyone would risk having one. Even a lion could be trained, but at the end of a day, it's not a pet. Neither are these animals.
In a sane world, the mere fact of owning pit bull type dogs would be cause to disqualify Hicks, cut off his residency, and ban him from any practice where he deals with psychologically vulnerable people. He was likely planning to specialize in explaining to dog mauling victims why the mauling was their own fault, how to deal with their guilt, and how to find forgiveness for the pit bull that did it. Ditto parents of dead children. Side specialty: declaring people who fear and abhor pit bull type dogs to be psychiatric patients and helping them get over their 'irrational' fears.
I dread to think of how Hicks would treat women dealing with domestic violence from a human partner. [See: http://www.animals24-7.org/2015/10/31/parallels-between-the-messages-sent-by-advocates-for-aggressive-dogs-and-the-messages-internalized-by-victims-of-domestic-violence/ ]
Given what we know about the psychology of pit bull owners, owning one or more should be reason to admit a person as a patient rather than a resident in a psychiatry program. I'm dead serious here. As various forensic journals have shown, {See: https://www.dogsbite.org/dog-bite-statistics-index-dangerous-dog-ownership-studies.php ] this man is likely full of passive aggression, power issues, and various other serious mental problems. Hicks should certainly be required to undergo a strict psychiatric evaluation, including Hare's Psychopathy Checklist Revised, before being allowed to continue his residency.
On a different note, the fact that he has a Harvard degree says nothing. The ivy league schools are just as deeply into pol-cor and industry-funded pseudo-science as any other institutions. [See: https://blog.dogsbite.org/2014/07/nonprofits-urge-cdc-track-richer-data-for-dog-bite-fatalities.html ] They, too, are dispensing mostly pseudo-education nowadays, at any rate in the non-exact 'sciences'. I'm not making this up. The problem is so pervasive at this point that there is an international discussion going on about it among serious scientists.
This problem is further illustrated by the fact that the Yale psychiatry faculty didn't manage to screen this man out when taking on residents. Here we have ivy league faculty unaware of important scientific literature even in their own specialized fields of teaching.
Finally, I wonder whether Hicks would have liked a trigger warning about his pit bulls. If only he had been more thorough in investigating what type of dog he wanted, he could have found the list here: https://blog.dogsbite.org/2008/08/triggers-what-prompts-pit-bull-to.html
P.S. Now seen the update. It's no surprise Hicks was also into crack cocaine. This is part and parcel of the same anti-social, low empathy, risk-taking psychology that makes people choose pit bull type dogs.
Why didn't Yale Medical School catch this as they considered candidates for — of all things — their psychiatry department? How in heaven's name did Yale decide that this man was fit to deal with vulnerable patients?
Hamilton Hicks was awarded grants by the University of Miami Ethics Programs (Arsht Research on Ethics and Community grants) 2013/2014 to "explore contemporary moral issues arising" from several areas. One was to explore the presence of any "discriminatory attitudes" in trauma care that might impact patient care. The actual grant language:
https://umshare.miami.edu/web/wda/ethics/Proposals/Year7/Zakrison.pdf
I suspect that Hicks may have gotten his pit bull-American bulldogs while studying at the University of Miami — those dogs are perfectly legal in Miami-Dade County.
Also, I am of the impression after looking at the Beaver Hill neighborhood in New Haven — particularly near Whalley — that his big ugly fence (that he kept locked) was not to keep his dogs killer in, but rather to keep people out. Did anyone catch the price on his large house? 184k.
Despite his many years of studying psychology and medicine, clearly the field is not for him. One commenter wrote:"…the doctor is at Yale’s Psychiatry department and had crack cocaine on him? And he had two pit bulls? What does that say about Yale’s judgment and selection standards?"
It is shocking that doctors have not only compared this woman's injuries to Charla Nash, but actually said they were worse. I still remember the video of Connecticut legislators banishing Nash's "attempt" at a civil case.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/embed/video/1087676.html
Thank you truthbirdtoo. Yale failed miserably here.
Meanwhile, I have to wonder about Hicks's own attitudes. Would he have treated a white pit bull victim differently from a non-white one? Would he have told a white pit bull victim that they were racist for now wanting pit bulls banned, but felt differently if the mauled person (or the parent of a dead child) were non-white and wanted pit bulls banned? Would he have chosen loyalty to non-white human beings above loyalty to the pit bull type dog? Would he have told a non-white mother that she was an Uncle Tom for naming pit bull reality as she mourned her dead non-white child?
The mixing of human racial and racism questions into the discussion about dog breeds and types is a huge and malevolent disaster. I find it incredibly sad that someone like Hicks let himself be persuaded by white identity politics people that pit bulls are just like non-white people. Because like it or not, that is EXACTLY what these white identity politics people are saying when they say that discriminating against pit bull type dogs is the same as discriminating against non-white humans.
These white identity politics people are above all concerned about demonstrating by their pit bull advocacy how non-racist they are. Sorry Hicks, but here's the sad reality: It's a vanity trip. In fact, these virtuous white identity politics people don't care one bit about any dead non-white child (or adult) that results from their precious posing. If they did, they'd abandon their 'the pit bull = a non-white human' stance and start objecting with much rage and passion about the carnage this Ku Klux Klan dog type is now committing in non-white communities.
We can thank white Irish and English for creating these tragic mutant dogs, bringing them to the USA and shipping them all around the globe.
In Richard Stratton's little blog, he boasts that the wealthy of China are turning from Tosas to APBT. I pity all the pets and humans of that land. .
They will revoke his medical license base on the crack cocaine issue, I'm sure. If not, they should.
A pit bull-owning psychiatrist on crack. There are times when truth is indeed stranger than fiction.
This is mind boggling. Two DOCTORS doing crack? Was the man a dealer? His pits guarding his stash perhaps?
Your Quiet Neighbor- indeed.
Meanwhile why has no major media outlet picked this up. You have a horrific mauling that is being labeled even more horrific then "Charla Nash" being committed by a "pet" and I see not a word on it.
What does it take to get sites like Drudge or the UK Mail to pick up stories.
I keep waiting to see what horror story will be the one that finally makes the general public say enough is enough with these creatures.
If I have to read about breed bans being like "racial profiling" I will spit. Dogs are bred for specific traits and behaviors their BREED IS A PROFILE.
Thank you for covering this. This has honestly horrified me more than most fatal maulings. It should be a reminder to everyone that (assuming the victim lives), fatal attacks don't tell the full story of the damage that pit bulls inflict.
The alderman who witnessed the attack is considering a communitywide ban on dangerous breeds. The guy needs support.
If I was this badly mauled I would not want to live through it. Any animal that can do this has no business near human society.
This story breaks my heart. Just imagine when the doctors take that woman out of the medically induced coma and she realizes what has happened to her. I don't envy those intensive care nurses.
This case sounds a lot like the 2011 Michael Cook mauling here in Tucson. Extensive damage to the victim's body, and, no, he did not live. In a way, that was a blessing.
This poor woman! After reading of so many attacks daily by mostly pit bulls, it's easy to start feeling a little numb. Every so often, though, a particularly horrifying attack or a fatality will happen and bring the reality home. You would expect these injuries from a shark or lion or similar wild predator, not a pet dog. I just don't understand how people can continue denying the truth about pit bull-type dogs.
Here's a comment on one of the news articles from user taotao007: "Another example of irresponsible owner buying certain breed of dogs to make himself look tough. Pit bulls require firm hand and they constantly need to be reminded who's the boss, as long as the owner can handle it, they can be the sweetest dogs in the whole world. I feel bad for the victim, I feel bad for these poor dogs, I don't feel bad for the owner, it's time to pay for your negligence now mister." http://www.courant.com/breaking-news/hc-new-haven-dog-attack-follow-0624-20160623-story.html
I've seen that type of assertion before about pit bulls and other aggressive breeds; it's a variant of the "it's all in how they're raised" myth. It sounds a bit like the lion-tamer myth, but the language used also smacks of Cesar Millan's pseudo-science babble as well as a macho, often misogynistic attitude. These same people tend to make nasty comments about small dogs and seem not to value any other dogs or pets.
Oh, my gosh…she died. 🙁 Another person dead because of pits this year. How horrible. May she rest in peace. http://fox61.com/2016/06/27/new-haven-woman-dies-1-week-after-being-attacked-by-2-dogs/
This story is so horrific and weird on multiple levels. I feel like reading it scrambled my brain.
Did this grown man not have a sharp knife in his kitchen? What did he do, just piss his pants and stand there, like most pit bull owners do when their dogs get violent? He was probably inebriated, because he didn't even have there wherewithall to flush his crack before the cops arrived.
I guess the only thing I have to add to the dialogue (because there really isn't much to say, except OMG) is my perspective as a former career academic: other commentors have speculated about how a crack-smoking psych MD got to Yale. IME, the Ivy League is incestuous; once you get in, you can circulate through all of them. It's set up that way. Not sour grapes on my part, merely an observation of fact.
There isn't a way to stop these attacks. Knives, shovels, even bullets don't stop fighting breeds because they are specifically bred to have a high pain threshold and to keep on going till they killed or are killed.
These breeds were purposely and intentionally created by man and bred for these characteristics and still are.
The pretense that they are wigglebutts and like Labs is a fallacy created by the breeder and fighting dog market to enable their continued activities.
They can't have dog fighting without these breeds that took hundreds of years to develop for fighting breed characteristics.
This poor woman was so severely mauled that dying was the best thing for her. I don't wish to seem insensitive but there are a couple things in play here. First of all, this woman was also a pit nut and had one herself. Second, she was a crack head. Though they may have been ignorant of what these dogs are capable of, the fact that they had them tells you just about everything you need to know about them as people. Her suffering is over but the doctor will walk away. I hope they revoke his medical license permanently. That'll fix his wagon.
I can not believe the crack dealing owner will get no charges relating to this woman's death. You really can get away with murder if your pits do the deed.
So sad to hear just sad
I had to come back and check for updates; this is a pretty sticky case (and on this blog, that's saying a lot).
I do not find pit bulls to be cute or attractive dogs…but these ones are exceptionally fugly. Those ugly mugs painfully biting your face off as your last living memory is…well, very Dante-esque.
Animal Control officer Joseph Manganiello called them "American bulldogs" as an obfuscation.
This term is being used by some in the dog shelter and animal control world to fool people.
A manager of a small shelter, using young girls as volunteers to handle the dogs, took in a pit bull from Georgia, one of the premier dog fighting states.
When I asked her why she would subject her young staff & the other innocent friendly dogs to a fighting breed (that was already charging the kennel gates & acting aggressively) she explained that it wasn't a pit bull, it was an "American bulldog" and that the animal control officer that unloaded this violent dogs and had shipped it to her said so.
The shelter didn't take in pit bulls, but this young female manger was taken advantage of by an animal control officer in Georgia in order to dump a problem dog.
American bulldogs are of course pit bulls. The manager denied they were, but she was just repeating a lie so she could sell a dog.
Fooling with language to hide the truth and trick people into taking fighting breeds is deadly and cruel. When I pointed out to her that her shelter would get sued if anything happened and that she would be held responsible, she had a little think and decided to ship the dog off to a "rescue group." I hope the dog isn't near you.
In this case, why is Manganiello being deceptive and hiding the truth? He is a government employee that works in a public safety department. Obfuscation isn't part of the job description. So whose interests is he really representing?
Starting to hear about "positive" acts of Hicks — through other people of course, he's not talking to the media himself. But alas, that is not going to help is hearing Friday about crack. Finally a photo that shows the sex of one of the dogs. I see testicles on "Pirate". It seemed in the earlier photos that the larger one on the left was actually a female. But those were pretty grainy photos.
——–
http://www.courant.com/breaking-news/hc-new-haven-dog-attack-20160628-story.html
PS. Manganiello is a pathetic joke.
Rest in Peace, Jocelyn. Even if she had lived, she would have had to deal with incredible physical and emotional trauma.
I remember reading a comment from one apologist speculating that the dogs may have gotten into Hicks's crack stash, and that's what caused the attack. It's amazing what these people will come up with to explain why a bully breed might maul someone. They should be defense lawyers.
In form, function (gripping), and breeding, an American (pit) bull-dog IS a pit bull: https://cravendesires.blogspot.com/2011/02/is-american-bulldog-pit-bull.html
The answer is clear-anti BSL bills promoted by out of state interests need to be overturned, period.
Thanks for all you are doing. Hang in there!