An elderly widow screamed in anguish during the sentencing of a couple whose dogs had mauled her husband to death and left her seriously injured.
Juanita Najera wept as she spoke in court in San Antonio, Texas, about her grief over the loss of 81-year-old veteran Ramon Najera.
Najera was abused last year by a pack of dogs, including two pit bulls belonging to Christian Moreno and his wife Abilene Schnieder. The couple was sentenced Friday to a total of 33 years in prison.
“You both took a huge part of my life. You took my other half. I feel like you’re serving what you deserve for the crime you committed,” his wife sobbed.
The couple were each sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to allowing the dog to carry out its fatal attack.
Juanita Najera wept in a Texas courtroom as she described her devastation since losing her husband to a fatal dog attack
Moreno was sentenced to 18 years, while Schneider was given 15. Because the offense is not considered violent under state law, they are eligible for parole after serving only 25 percent.
The couple were also fined $5,000 each by 226th District Judge Velia Meza on Friday.
Najera died from his injuries while trying to protect his 74-year-old wife from the dangerous animals after they escaped from a garden in February 2023 and began attacking him.
Police were told the dogs had been trained with meat to encourage aggression.
The animals Snow, King and Legend were the subject of numerous complaints from neighbours and had previously attacked people twice.
They were confiscated by the authorities, after which their children begged them to take them back.
The incident took place on February 26, 2023, and resulted in Najera being stabbed to death, while his wife and two other men were injured.
Ramon Najera, 81, was fatally mauled by a pack of dogs after getting out of a car with his 74-year-old wife in San Antonio, Texas. She was one of three people who suffered non-fatal injuries in the attack
The dogs were owned by Christian Moreno and his wife Abilene Schnieder, who pleaded guilty to dog attack resulting in death
When firefighters arrived on the scene in San Antonio, they had to use metal poles and picks to fend off the victims.
“When your dog attacked me, I could barely walk,” Juanita added in court.
“My whole body was shaking. I could barely get out of bed without help. I needed help every day.”
“You could have done something. You could have realized that those dogs had to be put down.”
Najera’s son told the court that the couple had shown no remorse for the deaths. As they left the courthouse, Moreno was seen nonchalantly gesturing toward the public gallery.
“I have not heard you say sorry to our family,” he said, his hands shaking. “You are unrepentant, disgusting individuals. Disrespectful, you do not deserve to be released as free people in our city.”
Judge Meza called the tragedy “preventable” and chided the couple for not being better owners.
“Based on what most, if not all, witnesses stated, this could have been prevented,” Meza said.
Christian Moreno and his wife Abilene Schnieder were sentenced to 18 and 15 years in prison respectively for allowing the barbaric attack to take place due to their poor dog control.
Firefighters were forced to use pickaxes and metal poles to battle the wild animals named Snow, Legend and King
“(Dog ownership) is not just about taking care of your dog, it’s about keeping the people in your neighborhood and community safe. And you’ve failed to do that.”
Animal control had seized the dogs, which had been quarantined for weeks before the fatal attack, but their owners paid to have them released 10 days later.
Moreno previously described the horrific scene he found when he returned home.
“We came back and I saw the dogs behind the gate, but they were covered in blood,” he told local station KENS5.
“It’s traumatic to see my dogs, who I’ve raised since they were puppies, do something like that to someone.”
Researchers said news4sanantonio that the pit bulls could easily escape from their yard through a hole in the fence.
According to the arrest report, witness video showed the dogs were not wearing collars or harnesses — a requirement of Animal Control Services (ACS). Moreno told investigators he had complied with the guidelines.
Police said they received tips that Moreno and Schnieder “were breeding and training the dogs to be aggressive toward meat.”
Emergency services are on scene of fatal dog bite in San Antonio
The couple will be eligible for parole after serving 25 percent of their sentence because the offense is not considered violent.
Snow pictured with her puppies, 7 males and 2 females. Snow was involved in two attacks last month and the fatal attack last week
An affidavit further states that Schneider also “recorded conversations with her husband about how dangerous the dogs had become.”
The three fearsome American Staffordshire Terriers were euthanized and following the fatal attack, “multiple reports of violent behavior from the dogs” were received.
After the incident, and before her arrest, Schnieder claimed that her husband was not responsible for the attack and that they had been careful in training the dogs.