In a heart-wrenching testimony, Janie Najera, the widow of Ramon Najera, takes the stand in the punishment hearing of Abilene Schnieder and Christian Moreno, the owners of the pit bulls responsible for her husband’s death. The courtroom falls silent as Najera recounts the horrifying events of that fateful day in February 2023.
Najera describes the terrifying moment when she saw a large dog latch onto her 81-year-old husband’s arm. “It was like a nightmare come to life,” she says, her voice trembling. Ramon Najera, an Air Force veteran, had attempted to protect his wife when the dogs attacked.
The situation quickly escalated as a second dog joined the attack, intensifying the brutality of the mauling. The first responding officer’s testimony paints a grim picture of the scene, stating that the amount of blood was so overwhelming that he could taste it in his mouth.
Schnieder and Moreno, who pleaded guilty last month to charges related to the deadly dog attack, now face up to 20 years in prison. The punishment hearing, which began on Monday, September 9, 2024, at the Bucks County Justice Center, aims to determine the appropriate sentence for the couple.
The prosecution is seeking the maximum punishment, arguing that the evidence will show “gross criminal negligence over the years”. They aim to establish the vicious and aggressive nature of the dogs, emphasizing that this was not an isolated incident.
In a surprising turn, the defense is attempting to shift some blame onto the City of San Antonio. They argue that city officials had multiple opportunities to address the issue of these dangerous dogs being loose but failed to do so. The defense contends that if the dogs had been properly processed as dangerous, they would have been euthanized, potentially preventing this tragedy.
The case has sent shockwaves through the San Antonio community, raising questions about pet owner responsibility and the effectiveness of local animal control measures. As the hearing continues, residents await a resolution that they hope will bring justice for Ramon Najera and prevent similar tragedies in the future.
