California Pit Bull Owner Charged with Murder

California Pit Bull Owner Charged with Murder

A California man has been charged with murder after DNA tests run on his dogs revealed that they were responsible for the mauling and death of a 63 year-old female jogger on May 9. Blood on the coats and muzzles of four pit bulls were matched to the blood of the woman who was bitten 150 to 200 times. The owner of the dogs was also charged with negligence of an animal causing death as well as charges involving marijuana. He was held on $1 million bail.

The pit bull attack occurred in the high desert community of Littlerock where a witness saw the dogs attacking the woman and called 911. When a Sheriff arrived, one dog remained in the attack which then tried to attack the Sheriff until he shot at it. A search warrant was later used to investigate the home of the dog's owner where the dogs were seized. Apparently, three other reports of the same dogs attacking people had been made against the dogs' owner since January.

A spokesman for the National Canine Research Council said that dog bite fatalities are not common but that more cases of criminal charges against owners are being filed in recent years. Charging a dog owner with murder is extremely rare. Such cases generally are prosecuted on charges of gross negligence or involuntary manslaughter. If convicted, the California man faces a potential sentence of life in prison.

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