Littlerock Man Pleads Not Guilty In Deadly Pit Bull Mauling
LANCASTER (CBSLA.com) — A Littlerock dog owner charged with second-degree murder after his pit bulls allegedly killed a Palmdale jogger in May pleaded not guilty in court Wednesday.
KNX 1070's Jon Baird reports Alex Donald Jackson faces murder charges after authorities recovered eight dogs — six of which were pit bulls — from his home.
Littlerock Man To Be Arraigned In Deadly Pit Bull Mauling
Jackson, 29, was arrested May 10, one day after the dogs allegedly attacked 63-year-old Pamela Devitt, who sustained 150 to 200 puncture wounds, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
DNA tests later confirmed that Devitt's blood was found on four dogs at Jackson's home.
The incident was reportedly not the first involving Jackson's pit bulls. Since January, there have been three other reports of his dogs attacking a bystander, according to Deputy District Attorney Samantha MacDonald.
However, Lorraine Torres, who says she is Jackson's girlfriend, defended him vigorously.
"He's not a murderer by any means," Torres said, adding Jackson has called the mauling a "tragic accident."
Jackson is charged with murder, negligent ownership of a mischievous animal causing death or serious bodily injury, cultivating marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale and possession for sale of a controlled substance.
He was also charged with a count of assault with a deadly weapon stemming from a January confrontation with another person.
Jackson is scheduled back in court on August 19.
If convicted, he faces up to life in prison, according to the District Attorney's Office.
If the case proceeds to trial, it would mark the second case involving a deadly dog mauling to be heard in Los Angeles County.
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