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39 thoughts on “Bexar County Prosecution Closing Arguments In Punishment Phase of Fatal Dog Attack Trial; Judge Issues Sentences

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  1. I hope they each get the full 20 years! They are a couple of selfish gouls. And I hope the family successfully sues the crap out of the city for not enforcing its own laws.

  2. Did the criminals take the stand? Was the wife’s long news interview containing her very incriminating non-apology used as evidence against them? I know it got her arrested.

    • No, she did not take the stand. We did watch her interview with homicide police that was scrutinized last week (https://youtu.be/iBf4uPp0IFo?si=IDK9k5inG0T39KYe). We have seen most of Day 2 testimony, but we still need to go through Day 1. It’s raw footage, not broken down into parts/chapters. There were also hearings leading up to last week’s punishment phase and evidence placed on the record that we have no access too. Since the couple pleaded guilty in August, one must assume “the wife’s long news interview containing her very incriminating non-apology used as evidence against them” already came into play. At 1:30 pm today (30 minutes from now), the sentencing will begin. Watch live here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TlXwzlTRng

  3. Great article, Colleen. I didn’t know about the feces-smeared floors, the cursing sign they posted in front of their house, or even that the whale had killed multiple people.

    Society would be better without these two in it.

  4. If they get the 20, I feel sorry for the people working at the prison that will hold them.

    Not going to be an easy job because I predict that those prison workers will get a lot of abuse.

    • It’s likely they’ll be model prisoners. Because these clowns will submit to the alpha dogs and those that hold their leash.

      They clearly submitted to their own dogs’ outrageous behaviours.

  5. I love the sign these folks put up. It shows their real belief in civilization. Their respect or lack thereof of government, law, and order is impressive. That sign
    showed their lack of respect for the legal system.

    Let’s penalize others equally harshly for owning killer dogs while not keeping the public safe. Allowing a dog to maul/kill should be treated like this. When precedents of imprisonment for such attacks are on the books, more judges will feel comfortable
    sentencing others this way. This could affect the revolving door in shelters as far as pitbull placement is concerned.

    • While I’m anti-authoritarian what staggers me is their complete anti-social behavior towards their *neighbours*.

      There’s plenty of reasons to not like police/courts/legal system for the many injustices committed but there’s no reason to treat your neighbours, who have the right to a modicum of safety in their own community.

      Purely selfish.

  6. I’m confused why did he gotten twenty years .she gotten 15 years .when they’re both responsible for his death.it because he’s a boy so they harsher on him. If you ask me she should got 20 years.I hope they rot in jail.shame their girls are also victims 35 years without their parents because those knuckleheads got a pit who killed an innocent men.

    • There are always extenuating circumstances that we are not privy too. The man did have an extensive criminal past. That may be why he received more time. He was also the first to be arrested. His wife was not arrested until she admitted to owning the pit bulls that killed Ramon Najera in a TV interview.

  7. Wow!! This is huge! 18 and 15 yrs! Is this the most jail time any owner of a killer dog has gotten?? This should make other pit owners take notice.

    • It certainly is the most jail time for any dog owners in the state of Texas, under the state felony dog attack law. The fatal dog mauling of the 21st Century, the death of Diane Whipple in 2001, resulted in a Murder 2 conviction that was overturned by the courts then reinstated (Marjorie Knoller was also convicted and served time for involuntary manslaughter, a charge that was not contested). Knoller was sentenced from 15 years to life for Murder 2. Her parole was denied in 2019 and 2023. She will be eligible again in 2026. During of the appeals process, Knoller was out of prison for several years. By 2023, Knoller had served 17 years in prison (separated by four years of freedom). 18 and 15-year sentences are truly rare. Both dog owners will be eligible for parole once 1/4 of their sentence is complete. That’s 3.75 years for Abilene, assuming she behaves.

  8. The judge found it difficult to believe the testimony of ACS, who said that none of the previous victims came forward to sign an affidavit to have the dogs declared dangerous. It sounds believable to me, as we know that San Antonio ACS would fail to tell people about that required affidavit. It is far too difficult to get dangerous dogs removed from communities, imo.

    I am happy about the sentences. I wonder if the husband ever did speak to the police, and whether their sentences would have been lighter if his wife had kept her big mouth shut.

    • Their sign they put up outside their house told the world what kind of people they are. There are certainly court rulings that are wrong. However, that sign gave everyone the wrong impression.

  9. Society has to take back our neighborhoods. It’s become risky to take your dog for a walk, go jogging or cycling, or let your kids run about. This macho mindset of owning a lethal dog – one originally bred for fighting, and then failing to control it has to be addressed. Making examples of such negligent owners through arrest, prosecution, and imprisonment may be the only way to stop these attacks, especially considering the indifference displayed here by Moreno and Schneider.

  10. WOW! It’s about time, people are doing time for these dogs. I wish we could have laws like this in NY. There are 2 pitts in my neighborhood, they were loose and attacked horses. A police officer who trained search,drug and do police work for many years was attacked. The pitt, was sitting next to her and out of nowhere,it attacked leaving permanent nerve loose to her arm. This happened at a animal shelter. Prior to that someone adopted a pitt attacked a child in the face. Neither person could not sue since the shelter was run by donations. Nothing was done! I feel this breed should be banned all over the country. Sorry to vent, but I’m happy that at least one state is waking up

    • You know what I find odd?

      Dog trainers, boarding kennels, groomers, pet daycares and dog walkers in most places, because they deal with more than three dogs at a time, must have liability insurance in case of lawsuits.

      Why do shelters/rescues seem to dodge this liability? If some had it, wouldn’t the insurance company be charging them an exorbitant amount for each pitbull since statistics bear out that these are the most dangerous dogs whose behaviors are most likely to end in a lawsuit?

      Am I missing something, here?

      • I suspect being part of the government most shelters have immunity.

        As more and more communities farm out care of animals to “rescues” I would hope they would loose that immunity.

        BSL, Breed Specific Litigation is one of the few weapons we have against the fighting dog menace.

        • The lawsuit would have been thrown out if the shelter had immunity, wouldn’t it? Maybe that’s why it has to be a federal case. An enforced ban on fighting breeds would prevent a lot of heartache. American society is a loose “anything goes” culture right now but the pendulum can swing quickly back to being a tight culture – see “Rule Makers, Rule Breakers” by Michele Gelfand.

  11. Thank you so much for the vital work that you are doing to protect the public interest! I agree with the sentiment that it’s also on the City of Antonio. They had plenty of opportunities to protect the public interest, and they *chose* not to do so. This indeed is negligence.

    It would be awesome if you had a section on your website that chronologizes the cases where the dog owners were found guilty of a crime, and sentenced. To have all of this in one place would be a useful data field for individuals and governmental bodies to use as they consider the risks they take in possessing, or allowing people to possess, an aggressive dog. Some “dog people” like to claim that it’s the owner’s fault alone, that genetics plays no role. So, if it’s the owner’s responsibility, then the owners should be found guilty of assault and/or homicide if their dog commits these actions. Might change a few minds. Insurance companies should take it into account when they decide who to cover and what to charge for a premium. Local governmental bodies should take it into account when considering their liability.

  12. Those dogs look like they are used in dog fights and betting…The owners by the looks they gave in court are very brain damaged people…very anti social…not capable of feelings of any kind….any feelings they may get is from watching others suffer ….

  13. What a non-logical comparison of a domestic pet to a wild animal, shows how ridiculous these aggro dog owners are.
    Whenever the scarring is mostly located on the dogs face/front, it means that dog had the better grip and controlled the attack. I see it often on pound dogs and the dog almost always has other troubling dog aggression signs vs a dog with scarring on its rear body.
    As a Texan, I’m glad this victim found justice.

    • Hard to tell. But prosecution certainly presented a totality of information, specifically regarding the “negligence timeline.” The sign showed additional “mindset”, which does matter in a criminal prosecution. What if the sign had said, “SORRY neighbors! We are working on fixing our fence so that our dogs no longer escape! Please leave us alone!” But that isn’t what the sign read, is it? The sign showed their “mindset” at the time.

  14. What a relief! Finally a judge doing what they are paid to do: Protect the general public from abuse.

    Not a solution, though. Because only prevention will solve the problem of maulings and deaths.

    Sorry for all the dog aggression victims out there in the world and in my own family.

    Thank you Colleen for the good work you do.

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