Pit Bull Owners Face Felony Charges After Deadly Attack
Golden Police Department press conference after a pair of pit bulls attacked two family members.
Dog Owners Plead Guilty
UPDATE 04/09/23: In early March, Kayla Mooney, 33, pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful ownership of a dangerous dog, a felony and a misdemeanor, in connection to the death of 88-year old Mary Gehring. Mooney's two pit bulls viciously attacked Gehring in September. Mooney received a stipulated two-year deferred judgment, with an agreement of 100 hours of public service and no dog ownership for one year. Mooney must also enroll in a dog ownership class.
Mooney co-owned the two pit bulls with her partner Victor Bentley, 29. In April, Bentley also pleaded guilty to the same two charges. Bentley was sentenced similarly with a two-year deferred judgment, 100 hours of public service, no dog ownership for one year, and enrollment into a dog ownership class. During the hearing, Bentley's defense attorney stated that his own pit bull had never been aggressive to people before and had only gotten into fights with other dogs twice.
10/24/22: Pit Bull Owners Charged
The First Judicial District Attorney's Office announced today that charges have been filed against the owners of two pit bulls that killed an 88-year old woman and injured a young boy. The attack occurred on September 14 in Golden. Kayla Mooney, 33, and Victor Bentley, 29, are the alleged owners of the two 7-year old pit bulls that inflicted the attacks. Both face felony charges for the unlawful ownership of a dangerous dog resulting in death, which is a strict liability crime.
Kayla Mooney is the mother of the 12-year old boy who was injured by the pit bulls and the granddaughter of Mary Gehring, who died of her injuries. Mooney is facing four charges: two felony counts for the unlawful ownership of a dangerous dog, and two misdemeanor counts for the unlawful ownership of a dangerous dog. Victor Bentley, Mooney's boyfriend, faces a pair of charges: one felony and one misdemeanor count for the unlawful ownership of a dangerous dog.
KMGH-TV reports on the affidavit, which recounts the events before, during and after the attack, including how police officers "used themselves as human shields" to rescue the woman," who was so horribly injured that KMGH-TV omitted some injury details. Though they did state that one of her arms was severed in the attack and would need amputation. Gehring also had "significant facial damage" and had one eye removed. She died while still hospitalized on September 17.
The coroner's office listed her cause of death as "cardiopulmonary arrest" due to "complications of extensive bite injuries" and "dog attack."
According to the affidavit, the attack began after Gehring, the 12-year old boy, and his younger sister arrived at the home to pick up some books for church. The boy summoned the dogs to put them into another room so they would not scratch Gehring if they got too excited. But the dogs never made it inside that room. Bentley's dog (named "Knoxville" according to his Facebook page) hid under a table. When the boy tried to pet the dog, to coax it out, it bit him "just a tiny bit."
That quickly escalated into the dog clamping onto the boy's ankle and not letting go. This is when Gehring stepped in. She tried to pull on the dog's collar to get him to release. After the boy kicked the dog's head, it did release. The boy ran outside to the porch and tried to close the screen door. The boy's sister called 911 at this time and Gehring, now outside too, told the boy to run. He fled to a neighbor's home. That is when both pit bulls began the full-fledged attack on Gehring.
Details in the Arrest Affidavit
One day after we reported the criminal charges, we were able to access the arrest affidavits for Mooney and Bentley. What immediately stood out was the detective stating, "It should be noted that I am familiar with Robbie and Kayla, as Robbie owns Denver West Towing and Kayla works for him. Denver West Towing is the contracted tow company for the Golden Police Department." It is also noteworthy that both pit bulls were male and that Knoxville had a history of "accidents."
"Victor said Knoxville had most recently been to Mead Veterinary clinic (Mead Veterinary Medical Center), and he took him there for a broken leg about a year ago. Knoxville was also blind in his left eye due to an accident with a firework, and he had a foggy film over the eye," states the affidavit. Two years before the deadly attack, 7-year old Knoxville escaped his home and was found on a cattle ranch in the south Platteville area. - Arrest Affidavit for Victor Bentley
A necropsy was performed on both dogs at the Colorado State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories. There was "no clear evidence of human remains" found in Knoxville. However, Knoxville had vomited at the scene. "In the pile of vomit that Officer Fink observed come from Knoxville, a piece of flesh was found," states the affidavit. Human remains were found inside Diablo's stomach, including, "scalp, human hair and two pieces of dark-colored clothing."
The findings for Diablo are significant, as both children in the home state in interviews with the detective that Diablo "attacked Knoxville to protect the family." The hero dog, Diablo, belonging to Mooney, "was biting Knoxville on the neck and anywhere else he could get him" and that "Diablo was all chewed up" and "all torn apart" due to fighting with Knoxville. The diagnostic laboratory, however, disagreed, stating: "there is no evidence to show the dogs fought or injured each other."
The male pit bull "Knoxville" that belonged to Victor Bentley "went missing" in 2020, but he was later found. "We found him ... He just needed some cow therapy from Magness Farms." It's unclear how that activity -- potentially harassing cattle -- did not result in the dog being shot.
09/19/22: Police Press Release: Dog Attack
Golden, CO - On September 14, a pair of pit bulls attacked a 12-year old boy and his grandmother at their home. The attack occurred in the 15700 block of West 1st Drive around 3:35 pm. Arriving officers found a "blood trail into the home" and observed both dogs attacking the woman in the backyard. Officers "acted decisively putting themselves between the animals and victim," Sergeant Ben Salentine said. Officers "used themselves as human shields" to rescue the woman, he said.
Police confirmed the grandmother died on September 18 from injuries sustained in the attack. The corner has identified her as Mary Gehring.
The 12-year old boy sustained bite injuries prior to the arrival of police, Salentine said during a press conference. He fled to a neighbor's home. The child was later flown to Children's Hospital. The woman was taken to St. Anthony hospital with critical injuries. Both dogs were taken into custody. One of the dogs was euthanized due to injuries it sustained at the scene; officers were forced to Tase the dogs and use "less-lethal" shotguns, but the tactics were "not effective."
Police said the dogs were "known to the two victims of the attack." One neighbor told CBS News Colorado the dogs lived at the home. The surviving pit bull is being housed at Foothills Animal Shelter. The owner of the dogs remains under investigation, police said. "I can confirm that the dogs belonged at the residence. But as far as the particular owners, everything’s under investigation," Salentine said last week. The dogs had no history of complaints, police said.
"I just want to give a little bit of information regarding an incident that occurred yesterday afternoon just after 3:30 in the afternoon in the in a location in the Southeast corner of our city. We had a call dispatch as an animal bite, which very quickly and rapidly evolved into an animal attack. Officers immediately responded to the scene -- a very chaotic scene. Followed a blood trail into the home. Observed through a backyard window to larger animals over an elderly female that was in the backyard. Our officers acted heroically quickly and decisively, putting themselves between the animals and the victim that was in critical condition in inside the backyard. Officers used themselves as human shields, while they were able to conduct a rescue operation, removing that elderly woman from the backyard into the kitchen, where she was immediately transported to a local area hospital. As this was all going on, there was also a child that was bitten prior to the officer's arrival. That child was at a neighbor's house. He was also treated immediately and transported to a local area hospital." - Sergeant Ben Salentine with the Golden Police Department, September 15, 2022 Press Conference
Home where a pair of pit bulls brutally attacked two family members on September 14, 2022.
Related articles:
08/10/22: 2022 Dog Bite Fatality: Elderly Woman Found Dead After Pit Bull Attack in Las Vegas
07/28/22: 2022 Dog Bite Fatality: Family Pit Bull Mutilates, Kills Woman in Nassau 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.
In the US a pit bull kills a person an average of once every twelve days. They are weapons that can pull their own trigger.
I’m going to take a wild and crazy guess and say that there probably were neighbor complaints about these dogs.
As we all know, pit bulls are notorious escape artists. This site is full of stories of fatal maulings by pit bulls that “somehow” got out.
In addition, pit bulls are barkers. Big barkers. Unless these dogs were kept inside 24/7, neighbors were probably subjected to the noise being force-fed into their residence. Someone probably complained.
And why is there no history of complaints? Well, this jurisdiction is probably “served” by an animal control with its own history. That would be a history of ignoring complaints, responding to them in a less-than-timely manner, or covering them up altogether.
I used to live in a ghetto, and we had two neighbors on our block that had pits that we never saw. They never let them out at all and their yards had no signs of dogs. I could not comprehend having a dog and never letting it out to the point that many neighbors did not even know one lived there.
and pitpull lovers still always blame the ‘,owners’ for pits behavior. and most often the owners are not charged with a crime.
This is tragic. I am 100% for banning pits. However, pits are generally not big barkers. They are often wonderful, until they aren’t.
The sad part is that no matter how many people die from pit bulls, their owners refuse to learn.
Permit me to introduce you to the pit bulls in my neighborhood. World-class barkers, every one of them.
A family owning pitbulls and caring for a very senior family member should make the choice of one or the other.
Why didn’t this woman’s family seek help from government aging services in the city, county or the state to move this senior woman to an asisted living home? She would have been safe from the pitbulls.
It’s a tragedy that pitbull owners seem to value their maulers more than their mothers.
Probably because she needed a babysitter and that SSI check.
Barkers they are. I have neighbors who keep their pit bulls in an assortment of kennels in the backyard. They are attended to ONCE A DAY and the kennels cleaned (shoveled out) once a week. Whenever someone appears in their backyard or a car pulls into their driveway, the dogs go berserk, jumping on the kennel walls and shrieking for attention. Local deer passing through will set them off big time. Sometimes I yell back. I think the dogs frequently wear bark shock collars, but batteries do die and excited mostly-neglected dogs often don’t care about the shocks.
It would seem, pit bulls have the same legal rights as school spree killers.
Here again it the thousand of stories where a family pitbull killed a family member. It tragic the grandma lost her life but I feel more sympathy for the little boy he have to witness his beloved grandma being mauled to death by evil pitbull.whoever the owner is I hope she or he is haunted by her death until the day he or she died.
An elderly woman is no match for a pitbull. The immune system is weakened by age. These dogs were probably good until they weren’t.
Is there another breed of dog that requires officers to act as a “human shield” to protect the victim? These dogs aren’t evil. They are dangerous. It’s that simple.
Why didn’t the police simply shoot the dogs? Who wants to harbor a killer dog?
I myself would be classified as elderly, and any pitbull could easily kill me. I couldn’t get away. There’s no way. Yet I have an eighty pound GSD lying on the floor, and I have absolutely no concern he will bite me. He’s bigger than most pitbulls. Breed matters.
It’s more difficult to safely shoot an attacking dog than one would assume. They don’t hold still, and are usually close to the victim, who may also be moving around.
There was a case a few years ago, where a woman was being attacked by a pitbull and someone accidently shot her, while trying to shoot the pitbull. So that is a concern.
That video is one of the most comprehensive (and not brief) coverage briefings I’ve seen recently.
While the police press report appeared to be comprehensive, much time was spent by the diplomacy of the police without giving usual basic facts. I had been initially impressed by the report as well.
Three issues I have been thinking about this week beyond the major issue about why the pitbull owners’ family mixed their very senior citizen in a house with pitbulls:
1. I have read a dozen news reports now. The family has likely hired an attorney to shield them from criticism by not releasing their name.
2. A woman in her 80’s is not going to adopt pitbulls. They were owned by the family. This situation reminds me of dear Joan whose death was reported several months ago.
3. The victim had just moved into the house a month earlier. Dear Joan had been in a new apartment for several months as I recall. I wonder about the impact of a recent move unsettling highly strung pitbulls. And the obscuring of a bite history report.
I hope the Golden, Colorado Police Department will investigate this mauling death by pitbulls with an eye on elder abuse.
Another possibility to consider: The boy at 12 years old is likely her great-grandson. 77 years difference. A considerable age span to be raising a child.
I disagree about the age span. If you look at statistics most people especially when college educated aren’t having their children and their own children aren’t having children as teenagers anymore! More parents are in their 30s than their early 20s now too because it takes years to get a college degree and then get those student loans to a manageable level so you can begin to afford to think about children! Neither of my children are even remotely thinking about children and they are both in their mid to late 20’s still working on their PhD and I was in my early 30s before I could even afford a child after paying for my own education!
It was reported that the pit owner, Kayla, was mother of the 12 year old and tue elderly woman was her grandmother. She was great grandma to the injured 12 year old, who knew the dog was a threat to her as he was trying to put the dogs up.
After the death of Queen Elizabeth II, her favourite breed, the corgi, is in the news, especially in Australia.
Talking about her working dog, as opposed to just being a pet, one Aussie corgi herder said
“I just got into it because I thought this would be fun to do to see if she could remember what her ancestors used to do. I think it is very important in any breed to maintain what they were intended to do”
She obviously didn’t think about all of the fighting breeds, still available as pets..
Judith, do you live in Australia? I have commented at other websites on some dangerous dogs deaths in that country.
Do you feel that staffies are just as bad as pitbulls? It seems so, especially after reading about the newborn killed in 2021. Is the general public mood to ban staffies too, like the pitbulls have been banned? I have read about the complexity of the Australian laws.
Nunzia, yes, I am Australian, the English ‘staffie’ is a far friendlier dog from experience, though, being a fighting breed, not always to other dogs! It is a really popular dog here. Could it be because of the average Australians laid back nature? It may reflect on our dogs? Almost all of the fatal dog attacks in Australia within the last few years, is by the American Staffie or AmStaff, which I consider a big pit type breed. The APBT is a banned dog in Australia but it is not impossible to own one, you just have to agree to keep one under certain regulations!
APBT are still being shipped all over the world, thanks to the USA support of the sadistic bully dog breeders who breed bully dogs like flies, and simply list the puppy as another breed.
The little boy name is ty and his grandma name was mary.The dog belong to the little boy the dog name is diablo .the family had him for seven years.the little boy was attack by the dog he got free cuz of his grandma and he went to the neighbor for help and he call 911.
The dog’s “owner” was 5 years old when he adopted the dog? No, one or both of the parents were the owner. Not that they’re going to get into any legal trouble because of it.
Later reports mention only one dog, “Diablo”, but there were two pitbulls doing the mauling.
It sounds like the boy did all he could to try to save his grandma.
Denver news stations never reported this. I will be sending this link!
local fox 31 just reported, it was published.
https://kdvr.com/news/local/woman-dies-after-pit-bull-attack/
This post has been updated to include criminal charges.
“Officers were forced to tase the dogs” So when you discover pit bulls mauling human beings to death you have to worry about the feelings of the pit bulls? Little wonder spree killers like Nicholas Cruz get the ‘kid gloves’ treatment in our courtrooms.
“If convicted of a felony, Mooney could face a maximum of six years in prison.”
“Mooney was charged for both dogs because they were physically being kept at her house, according to the case affidavit.”
Mooney’s boyfriend Victor Bentley faces a maximum of 3 years in prison.
https://www.cpr.org/2022/10/25/charges-filed-against-owners-of-pit-bulls-that-attacked-and-killed-golden-resident/
I will send this to the Governor of Denver. I still haven’t forgotten how he mocked the Pit Bull Ban in Denver by hosting a pit bull in the Governor’s mansion and flaunting it in photos. Of course now the ban is gone. Awareness of the danger of owning a pit bull is growing. I can see that as the numbers of comments indicating is growing as more people have become aware that they are a problem. It’s beginning to look like a revolution is brewing among those who have either been mauled, had a family member mauled or know someone who has been mauled and those who are dealing with aggressive dogs in their neighborhoods. Never has a breed been glorified to the degree that pit bulls have been. I believe the dogfighting industry supports the animal centric orgs that push pit bulls in cities all over this country.
I’m glad to say I was wrong when I speculated that the dogs’ owners wouldn’t face repercussions. The mom and her boyfriend are charged. Where is the boy’s father? Relevant question if the mom goes to jail (doubtful, to me…and possibly not the best thing for her kids). Is it possible that if people face serious trouble when their dogs attack, then word will spread and some will be deterred from owning dangerous dogs? I hope so.
It is interesting that the children described “Diablo” as heroically fighting the other dog, when in fact human remains were found inside its stomach. It seems that the great-grandmother was the hero who saved her great-grandson’s life.
Diablo was bravely saving grandma from the other dog, one bite at a time.