Mar 19, 2008 6:10 pm US/Central
Dad Of Kid Killed By Dog Breaks Down In Court
(WCCO)
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The family's pit bull bit 7-year old Zach King Junior on the neck last August.
CBS
Wednesday was a very emotional day for a Minneapolis
father.
In a Hennepin County courtroom, Zachary King Senior
described how the family dog mauled his son to death.
The family's pit bull bit 7-year old Zach King Junior
on the neck last August.
His father now faces a second degree manslaughter
charge for allegedly not doing more to prevent the attack.
In court, King broke down in tears several times, and
at one point he buried his face in a tissue and he cried as he explained what
happened the day of the tragedy.
He said in court that his son was unconscious on the
floor with a small pool of blood near his neck.
King told the judge that moments after the attack, he
carried his son to safety then shot and killed the pit bull.
The dog had been tied to a pole in the basement.
Prosecutors said it was on a short leash for 17 hours and that contributed to
the dog's aggression. The defense attorney said that wasn't proven during the
trial.
The prosecutor said that King knew his dog was
dangerous but the defense attorney said King had no reason to believe the dog
would act so violently. The defense attorney said King has been punished enough
because his son died.
"His position was made perfectly clear in his testimony that this was an accident,
only an accident ... it could never have been predicted," said Craig Cascarano, defense attorney.
"It was well known that this dog was dangerous ... it had
bitten seven people previously, including Zach Junior," said Mike Freeman, Hennepin Co. Attorney.
King waived his right to a jury trial. So a judge
will issue a verdict in a few weeks. If convicted, King faces probation -- not
jail time.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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