At a Glance
- Court
- 226th District Court, Bexar County, Texas
- Case Type
- Criminal Indictment
- Parties
- State of Texas v. Christian Alexander Moreno
- Jurisdiction
- Bexar County, Texas
- Date
- 2023-02-24
- Status
- Charged
Body:
San Antonio authorities arrested a local dog owner on felony charges after his two pit bulls escaped their yard and killed an 81-year-old man, according to NBC News [1]. The victim, Ramon Najera, and his wife were visiting a home in the 2800 block of Depla Street, off Highway 90 and Cupples Road, when the attack occurred on Feb. 24, 2023. Moreno's two dogs escaped their fenced yard, roamed the street, and attacked Najera. His wife, who was returning to their vehicle, witnessed the assault and was also injured when she attempted to intervene.
The dogs also injured one of the relatives and bit a first responder who tried to pull the animals off the couple. Three firefighters were also attacked by the two dogs while attempting to deter them from the victims. Najera died despite resuscitation efforts by San Antonio Fire Department EMS personnel. Moreno returned home during the attack and took his dogs back inside. The dogs involved in the attack, and another dog from the same household that was left unrestricted, were taken in by San Antonio Animal Care Services and euthanized. The dogs were described to police as American Staffordshire terriers.
Christian Alexander Moreno, 31, was arrested in connection with the attack and faces felony charges of attack by a dangerous dog causing death and injury to an elderly person, San Antonio police said. As of the days following his arrest, Moreno remained in Bexar County Jail, with bond set at $125,000 on both charges combined. According to NBC News, a second co-defendant, Abilene Schneider, was also arrested in connection with the attack in the days that followed [1][2].
According to the arrest report, a witness video showed that the dogs were not wearing collars or harnesses, which were a requirement of Animal Control Services when the agency recently released the dogs back to the couple. Police stated that Moreno's dogs had attacked two other individuals in the neighborhood on two prior occasions, and that Animal Control Services had been called to report the dogs' violent behavior multiple times in the past. Moreno's wife told police she had been "scared of the dogs since they were sterilized," claiming they had become "more aggressive" after the procedure.
The district attorney's office later alleged that Moreno and Schneider were criminally negligent by not providing adequate fencing and allowing the animals to roam free. Both Moreno and Schneider ultimately pleaded guilty to attack by dog resulting in death. Moreno was sentenced to 18 years in prison and Schneider was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the Feb. 24, 2023, mauling. Both received a $5,000 fine and are prohibited from owning a dog in the future.
References
[1] NBC News. (2023, February 25). One arrested in Texas dog attack that left an 81-year-old man dead. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/dogs-kill-elderly-man-critically-injure-woman-bite-2-others-texas-atta-rcna72290
[2] News4 San Antonio. (2024, August 29). San Antonio couple pleads guilty in fatal pit bull attack case. https://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/san-antonio-couple-pleads-guilty-in-fatal-dog-attack-case-texas-investigation-court-judge-police-dogs
[3] KSAT. (2023, February 26). Owner of dogs involved in fatal attack didn't return them to ACS despite wife's request, affidavit says. https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2023/02/26/owner-of-dogs-involved-in-fatal-attack-didnt-return-them-to-acs-despite-wifes-request-affidavit-says/
[4] NBC News. (2024, September 20). Texas couple sentenced to prison after pit bulls killed 81-year-old man. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/texas-couple-sentenced-prison-pit-pulls-killed-81-year-old-man-rcna172069