Cochise County Dog Owners Convicted of Felony Charges
A pair of pit bulls killed Helene Jackson and critically injured a 53-year old man.
Dog Owners Sentenced
UPDATE 04/17/24: A Cochise County judge sentenced the owners of a pair of pit bulls to seven years of probation and a short jail stint in connection to the fatal pit bull mauling of Helene Jackson in June 2023. Judge Jason Lindstrom described the crime scene-related photos he viewed before the sentencing as "nightmarish" and like a "horror movie." Chief Deputy County Attorney Lori Zucco said during the hearing, "This is one of the most gruesome homicides that has come through our office."
Both Shimira Sanches and Ashlee Sanches, who are married, will serve six months in jail at staggered times, due to a child in their home. Shimira was ordered to start serving her term immediately. In October, Ashlee must self-surrender to the Cochise County Jail to serve her six-month term. The gruesome multi-victim attack left Jackson dead, her dog Lily dead, and Shimira's uncle, who tried to stop the dogs from escaping the property, so damaged that doctors had to amputate his left arm.
Both defendants were convicted of negligent homicide and assault by vicious animal. The maximum jail time Lindstrom could impose was one year for each. Jackson's family hoped that both women would be sentenced to the full two years. In February 2023, the pit bulls had attacked a man and his dog under similar circumstances. In December 2023, Jackson's family served a $7.5 million notice of a claim against the city of Sierra Vista for their negligence in handling the first vicious attack.
"Had the City and ACS Garcia complied with their obligations under City Animal Control Ordinance§ 90.05(8) in February 2023, Thor and Panda would either have been euthanized, or appropriate safeguards required ... The City and its animal control officers ... had a duty to protect citizens such as Helene Jackson from attacks by canines such as Thor and Panda, once the vicious and aggressive nature or such canines becomes known to them." - Michael Jackson, et al., v. City of Sierra Vista, Arizona - Notice of Claim pursuant to A.R.S. § 12-821.01
11/18/23: Plea Hearing Ordered
On September 1, the owners of two pit bulls that killed 84-year old Helene Jackson and her dog, and critically injured 53-year old Sam Sanches, Jr., in Sierra Vista in June pleaded not guilty to multiple felonies in connection to the attacks. In August, Shimira Sanches, 43, and Ashlee Sanches, 35, were charged with felony manslaughter, felony negligent homicide, assault by vicious animals, also a felony, and two aggressive dog violation charges. A plea hearing has since been ordered.
Information released in the plea hearing announcement confirmed that the first victim, Sam, is a relative that was living at the home of Shimira and Ashlee Sanches, who are married. Sam, who is Shimira's uncle, was home alone that day with a young boy and two pit bulls, "Panda" and "Thor." Sam endured horrific injuries, including the amputation of his left arm and skin grafting procedures, while trying to stop one of the dogs from jumping a cinderblock wall as Jackson walked by.
That pit bull proceeded to enter the alley and attack Helene Jackson, who later died, and killed her small dog, Lily. Then the dog returned to its yard and joined the other pit bull that was attacking Sam. Both dogs were fatally shot at the scene by Sierra Vista police officers. Both women were granted permission on Friday by Judge Jason Lindstrom to take part in a confidential settlement conference with a retired judge in an effort to reach a negotiated plea agreement in both cases.
Sam has the right to take part in the hearing, as does Jackson's husband, Mike Jackson, who is considered a victim representative, reports the Herald/Review. Both men have the right to voice their opposition or support on various legal issues, including bail, release conditions, the terms of any plea offer, sentencing recommendations and more. According to the Herald/Review, part of the hearing may focus on the attack the dogs inflicted in February, four months before the multi-victim attack.
At that time, the pair of pit bulls escaped their property and attacked a dog being walked in the area. A Sierra Vista animal control officer took custody of the pit bulls, which were not vaccinated, and placed them into quarantine. Upon release, the officer advised the Sanches' to update their vaccinations. But they never did. Thus, multiple emergency responders in the multi-victim attack had to spend two stressful weeks waiting for lab results to learn if the pit bulls tested positive for rabies.
Escalating Dog-on-Dog Attacks
In a four-month period, "Panda" and "Thor" escalated from escaping their property to attack one dog being walked in the area to escaping their property (again) to attack another dog being walked in the area, killing that dog, Lily, and its owner, Helene Jackson, and nearly killing a person in their own household, Sam Sanches. A single previous dog-on-dog attack by this pair of pit bulls led to a multi-victim attack resulting in a human death, a dog death and a human left with catastrophic injuries.
The injuries inflicted on the dog in the first dog-on-dog attack are unknown. However, it’s clear that the pair pit bulls were not declared "vicious" under Sierra Vista code at that time. The definition of a "vicious animal" under the city code is "any animal that has a propensity to attack, that bites, attempts to bite, endangers, injures or causes an injury to a human being(s) or other animal(s) without provocation, or has been declared so after a hearing by a City Magistrate, or Justice of the Peace."
08/14/23: Pit Bull Owners Charged
After an elderly woman and her pet dog were killed by a pair of pit bulls and a man critically injured by the same dogs in Sierra Vista in June, the dogs' owners are now facing five charges. Shimira and Ashlee Sanches each face charges of felony manslaughter, felony negligent homicide, assault by vicious animals, also a felony, and two aggressive dog violation charges in connection to the death of 84-year old Helene Jackson and the critical injuries of 53-year old Samuel Sanches on June 23.
The multi-victim attack occurred as Jackson and her dog, Lily, were walking in an alley between Meadowlark Drive and Calle Del Norte at about 6:00 pm. It is alleged that one of the pit bulls jumped over the owners' cinderblock wall to attack Jackson and her dog in an alley. Jackson was transported to a local hospital, where she died of her injuries. Lily was discovered dead in the alley. Samuel was seriously injured by a second pit bull belonging to the owners while trying to help Jackson.
The current medical condition of Samuel Sanches is unknown. It is also unknown if he is related to either owner, who share his same last name. We were able to locate two previous pit bulls owned by Shimira on her Facebook page, but not current ones. Online court records show the charges were filed on August 10, and a grand jury summons was issued on August 11. Both will be arraigned on September 5 in the Division IV courtroom with Superior Court Judge Timothy Dickerson.
06/25/23: Dog Kills One, Injures Another
Sierra Vista, AZ - On Friday, at least one pit bull critically injured a 53-year old man and killed an 84-year old woman and her small dog. The Sierra Vista Police Department (SVPD) responded to the 600 block of Calle Del Norte around 6:00 pm after reports of a dog attack in the alley between Calle Del Norte and Meadowlark. When officers arrived, they discovered a dog attacking Sam Sanches Jr., 53, in the backyard of his home. Officers shot and killed that dog to render immediate aid to Sanches.
Officers then found Helene Jackson, 84, mortally wounded in the alley behind the home, "as a second dog returned to the same yard where the first attack occurred," states the release. Officers shot and killed the second pit bull too. Jackson was transported to Canyon Vista Medical Center, where she died of her injuries Friday night. Jackson's own dog was found dead in the alley near where she was located. The three dog carcasses were transported to Sierra Vista Animal Control.
SVPD PRESS RELEASE (June 24, 2023): Dog attack leaves one Sierra Vista resident dead, another seriously injured
On Friday, June 23, the Sierra Vista Police Department responded to the area of Calle Del Norte after a 911 caller reported a dog attack in the alley between Meadowlark Drive and Calle Del Norte.
Officers arrived on the scene and found a dog attacking a male victim in the backyard of a residence on Calle Del Norte. Officers dispatched the dog and provided first aid to the victim until emergency medical assistance arrived. A second female victim was found in the alley behind the residence as a second dog returned to the same yard where the first attack occurred. The second dog was also dispatched by SVPD officers.
Helene Jackson, an 84-year-old Sierra Vista resident, was transported to the Canyon Vista Medical Center where she succumbed to her injuries Friday night. Her dog was found deceased in the alley near where she was located.
Sam Sanches Jr., a 53-year-old Sierra Vista resident, was transported to Banner Medical Center in Tucson where he remains in critical condition from his injuries.
The three deceased dogs were secured by the Sierra Vista Police Department’s Animal Control Office pending further investigation.
This is an active investigation and anyone with information relevant to this incident is asked to contact SVPD Detective Thomas P. Ransford at (520) 452-7500.
On Saturday, the Arizona Daily Independent reported that Jackson and her small dog Lily were taking a stroll in a residential alley when a pit bull "jumped a cinderblock wall-styled fence of a nearby home" and attacked them both, ultimately killing them both. Jackson sustained multiple traumatic injuries to her limbs, neck and face. She died shortly after reaching the hospital. Sanches resides in the home from where the pit bull jumped from, but apparently he is not the dogs' owner.
The role of the second dog, also described by witnesses as a pit bull, in this multi-victim attack is less clear, though police shot and killed it to stop it from entering the backyard, the first attack site. According to neighbors, a dog from the same home was involved in an injury attack earlier this year but it is unknown if that attack was reported to police. The owner(s) of the attacking dogs is apparently cooperating with the investigation being led by SVPD Detective Thomas Ransford.
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03/10/23: 2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bull Mauling in San Antonio Kills One, Hospitalizes Two
03/11/21: Peer-Reviewed Study Examines Dog-on-Dog Attacks by Analyzing News Media Articles
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