Negligent owners get decades in prison for deadly failings to control dogs

A couple of weeks ago, I blogged here about notable federal sentences given to criminal cat kickers. Today, I saw a notable state sentencing in response criminal dog behavior, though in this case it involves fatal results for both humans and canines. NBC News reports these details in this piece headlined "Texas couple sentenced to prison after pit bulls killed 81-year-old man":

A Texas couple was sentenced to more than a decade in prison each Friday after their pit bulls got loose and killed an 81-year-old man last year, the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office said. Christian Moreno was sentenced to 18 years in prison and Abilene Schnieder was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the Feb. 24, 2023, mauling near their San Antonio home.

Ramon Najera, 81, was killed and his wife, Juanita Najera, was injured in the attack. The dogs got loose and attacked the Najeras as they were running errands nearby, officials said. “What happened to Mr. Najera was an unspeakable horror,” 226th District Court Judge Velia J. Meza said before imposing the sentence.

Firefighters who arrived on the scene saw a bloodied man being dragged around a corner by dogs, and the firefighters had to use pickaxes to fend off the animals, the city’s fire chief said at the time.

The three dogs involved in the attack or off their property at the time were euthanized, Animal Care Services said at the time of the attack.

Juanita Najera told the court Friday that she has post-traumatic stress disorder, courtroom video broadcast by NBC affiliate WOAI of San Antonio shows. “I would never have imagined I’d be calling myself a widow at this time in my life, and in this tragic way,” she said. "PTSD is now something I will have to deal with the rest of my life. Extreme loneliness and emptiness will also be a part of my life."...

There had been previous complaints about loose and aggressive dogs from that home, officials said at the time of the attack. “This unfortunate tragedy was preventable. The defendants’ failure to act responsibly and secure their pit bulls resulted in injuries and the loss of a life,” Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales said in a statement....

If paroled, Moreno and Schnieder are prohibited from owning or possessing dogs.

I surmise that parole eligibility under Texas law might mean that these defendants could be released from prison before 2039 and 2042.