At a Glance
- Court
- Court of Appeals of Virginia
- Case Type
- Court Ruling
- Parties
- Commonwealth of Virginia v. Deanna Large
- Jurisdiction
- Spotsylvania County, Virginia
- Date
- 2006-03-29
- Status
- Decided
A Spotsylvania County, Virginia, woman convicted of involuntary manslaughter after her three pit bulls fatally mauled an 82-year-old neighbor received a three-year prison sentence, which a Virginia appellate court later upheld, according to the Washington Post [1].
Deanna Large, 37, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in December 2005 for the death of Dorothy Sullivan [2]. Sullivan had been walking her shih tzu, Buttons, in her front yard in Partlow, Virginia, when the dogs attacked and killed both. [2] Large was also found guilty of two misdemeanor charges of allowing her dogs to run loose and could have faced up to 10 years in prison. [3]
A grand jury indicted Deanna Hilda Large of Partlow on one felony count of involuntary manslaughter and three misdemeanor counts of allowing dangerous dogs to run loose. [4] Large had been visited by animal control on numerous occasions leading up to the fatal attack. [5] The first sheriff's deputy to arrive, after an emergency call by Sullivan's daughter, reportedly shot two of the pit bulls at the scene. The third was captured and euthanized later. [4]
Sullivan's death prompted outrage in her rural community, where residents said they had long been threatened by aggressive, roaming dogs. Sullivan's family collected thousands of signatures on a petition urging stricter dog laws, and the Virginia General Assembly passed legislation imposing tougher penalties on dog owners whose pets seriously injure others. [3] Large was sentenced to three years in a Virginia prison and a fine of $500, having been convicted of involuntary manslaughter and two misdemeanor charges for allowing her dogs to run loose. [6]
The Virginia Court of Appeals affirmed both the conviction and the sentence, according to the Washington Post [1]. The ruling reinforced the legal principle that a dog owner can face felony criminal liability when negligent control of a known dangerous animal results in a fatality. The case drew wide attention as one of the earliest high-profile criminal prosecutions in Virginia stemming from a fatal dog mauling, and it contributed directly to legislative action tightening the state's dangerous-dog statutes [3].
References
[1] The Washington Post. (2006, March 30). Sentence Is Upheld In Fatal Va. Dog Attack. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2006/03/30/sentence-is-upheld-in-fatal-va-dog-attack-span-classbankheadwomans-pit-bulls-killed-neighbor-in-march-2005span/27e04b9c-dd26-4e0c-9859-ecc99445431a/
[2] Deseret News (AP). (2006, March 30). Woman sentenced in fatal pit bull attack. https://www.deseret.com/2006/3/30/19945751/woman-sentenced-in-fatal-pit-bull-attack/
[3] CBS News. (2006, March 29). Woman Gets Jail For Pit Bull Attack. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/woman-gets-jail-for-pit-bull-attack/
[4] Animal People News. (2005, April 1). New murder-by-dog case filed in Virginia. https://newspaper.animalpeopleforum.org/2005/04/01/new-murder-by-dog-case-filed-in-virginia/
[5] DogsBite.org. 2005 U.S. Dog Bite Fatalities. https://www.dogsbite.org/dog-bite-statistics-fatalities-2005.php
[6] Dog Bite Law. Examples of Criminal Prosecutions. https://www.dogbitelaw.com/examples-of-criminal-prosecutions/