A Texas couple who viciously attacked an elderly military veteran who owned a pit bull ended up each serving nearly a decade in prison for the unprovoked attack.
Ramon Najera, 81, was killed in San Antonio after two dogs escaped from their yard and attacked him and his wife, Juanita, 74.
San Antonio emergency responders who arrived on the scene saw Najera's bloodied body being dragged by one of the dogs involved in the deadly attack, after which the dogs charged into a gunfight that forced gunmen to fend them off with pickaxes.
The dog's owners, Christian Morena and Abilene Schneider, were each sentenced Friday to lengthy prison terms for the fatal Feb. 24, 2023, attack, according to the Bexar County Criminal District Attorney's Office.
Juanita told the court on Friday that she now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and “extreme loneliness and emptiness,” according to court video. Woai.
“I never imagined I'd be found a widow at this time in my life and in such a tragic way,” she said. “PTSD is something I'll have to live with for the rest of my life.”
Morena faces the next 18 years in prison, while Schneider was sentenced to 15. The DA's office said the couple were criminally negligent for not properly fencing the dog and for allowing it to roam free.
The couple were also banned from keeping or owning dogs in the future, prosecutors said.
The horror was made clear when Najera and Juanita, who had just arrived on the street to visit a friend, got out of their car and were suddenly attacked by a group of unleashed and unrestrained dogs.
The pets escaped the yard and ran towards Mr Najera, clinging to him and dragging him along the road before being chased away by firefighters armed with axes.
The attack killed Najera and injured three others, including Juanita.
District Attorney Joe Gonzalez called the random attack a “preventable” tragedy.
“The defendants' failure to act responsibly and ensure the safety of the pit bulls resulted in injuries and loss of life. We believe the defendants have received appropriate punishment and justice has been served to the Najera family,” Gonzalez said in a news release.
The widow of an elderly Air Force veteran filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the dog's owners in March over her husband's death.
She said Morena and Schneider failed to safely supervise and control the dog and knew it was dangerous, according to the Bexar County complaint. News 4SA.
Schneider publicly apologized to the Najera family before his arrest but maintained that her husband was not responsible for the death.
Schneider said after they were neutered, the dogs became more aggressive and started fighting with each other.
The dogs, Staffordshire terriers named King and Snow, and a third dog were taken into custody by animal control and euthanized shortly after the attack.
