US: Pitbull owner faces murder charge after fatal dog mauling of 4-year-old

[webfact]

Pitbull owner faces murder charge after fatal dog mauling of 4-year-old

(CNN)The owner of four pitbulls is facing a murder charge after his dogs mauled to death a 4-year-old boy in Detroit, Michigan.

Geneke Antonio Lyons, 41, was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter, and possessing dangerous animals causing death, according to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office.

Lyons pleaded not guilty in court Monday and was remanded to jail. The vicious attack occurred last week as the boy and his mother were walking together down the street.

Full story: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/12/07/us/michigan-boy-mauled-death-pitbulls/index.html


-- CNN 2015-12-08

[NeverSure]

OMG. What a horrible thing for the mother.

[steven100]

irresponsible dog owner ............ he deserves 20 years at least.

he has taken the life of a little 4 yr old because he owns savage dogs in town which is ridiculous ....

lock him up and throw away the key , sell all his belongings and give the money to the mother as some compensation.

[new2here]

I agree in that I think there is merit to at least bring the matter to trial. Who is right or wrong, I think the evidence needs to come forth before that can be said.

As a pet owner myself, I am firmly of the mindset that you, as the owner, are responsible and need to know, be aware and take measures to control your pet accordingly.

If you want to own breed X dog, then you need to be aware of what traits that breed has and be prepared and thus responsible for its actions.

[oldsailor35]

Questions need to be asked.

1) Why was he keeping, not one but several dogs of a declared dangerous breed..

2) Did he normally keep those dogs secure.

3) Did he usually muzzle the dogs when they were free.

If he says yes to questions 2 & 3 then he is guilty of neglect , knowing of the dangers, and should be judged accordingly.

[steven100]

I agree in that I think there is merit to at least bring the matter to trial. Who is right or wrong, I think the evidence needs to come forth before that can be said.

As a pet owner myself, I am firmly of the mindset that you, as the owner, are responsible and need to know, be aware and take measures to control your pet accordingly.

If you want to own breed X dog, then you need to be aware of what traits that breed has and be prepared and thus responsible for its actions.

there is merit to at least bring the matter to trial

of course there's merit ... his animal killed a 4 yr old child.

take measures to control your pet accordingly.

obviously he didn't.

You may be a responsible dog owner which is good, but this dirtbag obviously wasn't.

He deserves 20 yrs in jail.

why do these idiots breed and keep a savage dog in the middle of the city ?

is it a macho thing ????? please someone explain to me what is it ..............

I say kill all these savage dogs and fine the owners !!

[colinneil]

Hang the bast..d.

Why do people keep dangerous dogs?? Macho thing thats why.

R.I .P. YOUNG MAN YOUR LIFE WAS CUT SHORT BY A SELFISH BAST..D

My thoughts and prayers for his poor mother.

[new2here]

I agree in that I think there is merit to at least bring the matter to trial. Who is right or wrong, I think the evidence needs to come forth before that can be said.

As a pet owner myself, I am firmly of the mindset that you, as the owner, are responsible and need to know, be aware and take measures to control your pet accordingly.

If you want to own breed X dog, then you need to be aware of what traits that breed has and be prepared and thus responsible for its actions.

there is merit to at least bring the matter to trial

of course there's merit ... his animal killed a 4 yr old child.

take measures to control your pet accordingly.

obviously he didn't.

You may be a responsible dog owner which is good, but this dirtbag obviously wasn't.

He deserves 20 yrs in jail.

why do these idiots breed and keep a savage dog in the middle of the city ?

is it a macho thing ????? please someone explain to me what is it ..............

I say kill all these savage dogs and fine the owners !!

The mere fact that there was a fatality does not automatically mean there is an grounds for the state to bring action.

I get it that it's emotional, but at the end of the day, the state has to make that case as the moving party.

I don't know what this person did - or didn't do to control the animal.. Therefore, I'm willing to reserve judgement pending facts. Sounds bad? Of course, but this is a court action, and therefore facts are going to be critical.

I too don't understand why one would keep such dogs, for me the risk is too high.. But.. Until the state (as a governmental entity) makes a law that says you can't do so - you can.

However, I do think that you as the owner still bear all the responsibility.

I do have a great deal of empathy for the victim -- and from what's in the public domain, it sounds ugly and bad to say the least... But before I sign off on a 20 year sentence for the accused, I want to see the state make and prove their case.

[jippytum]

Anyone that buys a pit bull knows the risks involved .Zero sympathy for the dog's owner unlike the child's parents

[Beats56]

Feel bad for the child.OMG what a tragic waste of a life of a little one that had their whole life ahead of them. In my country the province of Ontario band pit bulls. No sure what the other provinces did. Unpredictable dogs.

[oneday]

It makes me so happy to see this man being prosecuted for murder. Bravo for the prosecutor for bringing this case to court with such a stiff penalty. Fantastic!

[Borzandy]

In Thailand the pitbull owner would have been charged 1000 Baht.

[Nowisee]

Plenty of well behaved pit bulls out there. Don't blame the breed... it's the ignorant knuckleheads that mistreat the dogs and make them aggressive towards people and other animals.

Although I don't agree with automatically charging people with murder for the actions of their dogs, if the investigation reveals negligence and certainly if its determined there was some form of malice and/or intent on the owners part, you deserves the charges and appropriate penalty.
Tragic and completely senseless loss of life.

Edited December 8, 2015 by Nowisee

[Scott]

Unless the owner had the dogs securely locked up and someone deliberately let them out, he is probably going to be found guilty. The child was not left unattended and was on a public street with his mother.

Very sad for the child, his family and the pitbulls, which I am sure will be put down.

[Mitker]

Breeding and keeping such potentially dangerous animals is like walking the streets with a rifle except this one has a automatic firing option.

They can be controlled and are most of the time. But regularly we hear about victims of such beasts owned by brainless masters.

There is no justification for the average citizen to have to risk their (kids) life in order to satisfy the mental issues of some disturbed minds. I personally don't see the point to maintain this human-selected species.

They should simply be outlawed. And until then, full responsibility upon the owners. No excuse: their weapon fired.

[chilli42]

It's about time pet owners are held responsible for the behaviour of their pets.

[ggt]

The Pit Bull breed is a dangerous dog...they do not need to be mistreated to attack humans...know of several people disfigured for life by Pit Bulls...there should be a law requiring the owners of Pit Bulls to carry extensive life and medical insurance in case of unanticipated consequences from owning these unpredictable animals...

Bred for years as mean spirited fighting dogs...you can take the dog out of the arena...but not the fight bred into the dog...

[Colabamumbai]

Maybe off topic but if you own a swimming pool fenced or not and someone gets in and drowns you are libel.

As this fellow should be.

[Dustdevil]

Hang the bast..d.

Why do people keep dangerous dogs?? Macho thing thats why.

R.I .P. YOUNG MAN YOUR LIFE WAS CUT SHORT BY A SELFISH BAST..D

My thoughts and prayers for his poor mother.

Macho BS. I agree. Personally, I'm a cat guy and I am not confused about my sexuality or maleness. I don't need a pit bull to compensate. Cats are clean, don't poo all over your back yard (they find bushes); you don't have to take them for walks five times a day starting at 5 am, some are very smart, and they love you just as much as the smelly slobbering dogs if you treat them well.

[Dustdevil]

It makes me so happy to see this man being prosecuted for murder. Bravo for the prosecutor for bringing this case to court with such a stiff penalty. Fantastic!

Me too. Some years ago, maybe 15 or 20 years, some poor young woman in San Francisco was mauled to death in an apartment building hallway by a couple of pit bulls belonging to this incredibly disgusting, ignorant, trailer-trash couple. I recall now that they were both convicted criminals previously. They could probably only pay rent in S.F. by selling meth or something. Not sure what happened to them in court. I don't feel like looking it up because the case is depressing.

Edited December 8, 2015 by Dustdevil

[chuckd]

Unless the owner had the dogs securely locked up and someone deliberately let them out, he is probably going to be found guilty. The child was not left unattended and was on a public street with his mother.

Very sad for the child, his family and the pitbulls, which I am sure will be put down.

Three of the four were shot on the scene and the fourth one was later euthanized.

They were considered dangerous by the police and animal welfare officers.

[sanukjim]

irresponsible dog owner ............ he deserves 20 years at least.

he has taken the life of a little 4 yr old because he owns savage dogs in town which is ridiculous ....

lock him up and throw away the key , sell all his belongings and give the money to the mother as some compensation.

In Texas my neighbor about three houses from mine got two pit bull dogs.I paid him a visit and told him that if he did not remove the dogs from this area that I would bet that they would die in some fashion.I did not actually threaten him or his dogs,I just made him a bet.The dogs were removed in two days.

[Dustdevil]

irresponsible dog owner ............ he deserves 20 years at least.

he has taken the life of a little 4 yr old because he owns savage dogs in town which is ridiculous ....

lock him up and throw away the key , sell all his belongings and give the money to the mother as some compensation.

In Texas my neighbor about three houses from mine got two pit bull dogs.I paid him a visit and told him that if he did not remove the dogs from this area that I would bet that they would die in some fashion.I did not actually threaten him or his dogs,I just made him a bet.The dogs were removed in two days.

Good on you. And pit bulls are not the only obnoxious ones. I got a slight bite and was about a millisecond away from being mauled by some other breed, a doberman or something like that, in a park in Wiltz, G.D Luxembourg of all places.

[car720]

Fear of fear is to blame.

I would be very surprised if when talking to most owners of dangerous animals that they did not in some way or another express a need for self protection. Having these animals is a way of advertising to others that you are not afraid of them.

I would also be very surprised if at some time or another these people had not experience some form of personal bullying by others.

My daughter owns an Arabian Boxer and I have often told her to get rid of it as it will attack others but she laughs and says that she can control it. The damn thing could drag her along behind it if it wanted to.

Unfortunately, this sort of stuff like so many other things is societal and a sign of the times.

A bit like Donald Trump I am afraid.

[hugh2121]

Hmmmm. Nobody asks if the dog was aggravated by the child or his mother. Not enough facts here to jump to conclusions.

Don't forget how cruel children can be to animals......and to each other.

Judgement reserved.

[Grouse]

Hmmmm. Nobody asks if the dog was aggravated by the child or his mother. Not enough facts here to jump to conclusions.

Don't forget how cruel children can be to animals......and to each other.

Judgement reserved.

Bit bull treated cruelly by 4 year old!

My god, there are some nutters out there.......

Dangerous breed such as these are banned in civilised countries.

[hugh2121]

Hmmmm. Nobody asks if the dog was aggravated by the child or his mother. Not enough facts here to jump to conclusions.

Don't forget how cruel children can be to animals......and to each other.

Judgement reserved.

Bit bull treated cruelly by 4 year old!

My god, there are some nutters out there.......

Dangerous breed such as these are banned in civilised countries.

http://www.urdogs.com/they-labelled-him-aggressive-what-he-did-when-a-hand-reached-for-him-was-heartwarming/

Yes, it's a pit bull. Go on Grouse, remove the blinkers and have a look at this gorgeous pit bull.

Edit.

Quote: Pit bulls are not aggressive by nature, quite the opposite of it, they are sweet and kind and loving.

Bring your child up as a thief, it will become a thief

Bring your child up as an athlete, it will become an athlete

Bring your dog up (any breed) with cruelty and viciousness, it will become vicious.

Who are the culprits? People, every time. Who gets the blame? Dogs, every time.

I hear you say "but, but, but the owner is being prosecuted." I say, "will the owner pay with his life?"

Edited December 10, 2015 by hugh2121

[ableguy]

I thought it was illegal in the USA to keep pit Bulls that can breed , i.e. Not being separated from their nuts, maybe it was just in my State ( Washington

[konying]

Its beyond words and too tragic to comment on.

I must point out 2 things though

1 is that looking at the video, those are not pitbulls but american staffies.

Secondly, owner should be held responsible, if he was well aware that his dogs could get out, he should have made an effort to restrict them.

I own 2 real pitbuls, they are both very loving dogs, however they are very strong dogs and i do not let them out in public anywhere ONLY in my presence.

Dogs are dogs and when in a pack it gets worse,they also very energetic and do need to be exercised,otherwise all that power and energy turns violent.

I hope owner gets jailed, so other pitbul owners would take greater responsibility and care, as i believe it is the owners who give the breed a bad name, not other way around.

[konying]

Hmmmm. Nobody asks if the dog was aggravated by the child or his mother. Not enough facts here to jump to conclusions.

Don't forget how cruel children can be to animals......and to each other.

Judgement reserved.

Bit bull treated cruelly by 4 year old!

My god, there are some nutters out there.......

Dangerous breed such as these are banned in civilised countries.

They are banned because officials are well aware they could not ban the owners,

If i had a say in it, i would make a requirement to attend classes and pass tests and be licensed to own any kind of a pet as there are too many morons out there, that not only should not be allowed to keep pets but also not allowed to breed themselves.

And yes, kids do have a habit of aggravating dogs because for some its just fun and for others parents failed to provide basic education, HOWEVER in this case, dogs should not have been out in public without owners presence.

And yes may be kid was annoying the dogs and mother was too stupid to stop him, but again, dogs should not have been outside in public without owner being present.