Watch as Judge sentences couple in deadly pit bull attack on elderly man

SAN ANTONIO - The couple at the center of the deadly pit bull attack case learned their fate Friday afternoon. Christian Moreno was sentenced to 18 years in prison and Abilene Schnieder was given to 15 years in prison by 226th District Court Judge Velia Meza. Both were given a combined $10,000.

Both are prohibited from possessing dogs and they can have no contact with Depla Street and Darby Street residents.

Janie Najera gave a powerful victim impact statement after the sentences were handed down.

“PTSD is now something I’ll have to deal with for the rest of my life,” said Janie Najera during her impact statement. “Extreme loneliness and emptiness will also be a part of my life. You both took a big part of my life away. You took my better half away.”

They were arrested in February 2023 after their pit bulls mauled and killed 81-year-old Ramon Najera and seriously injured his wife. Firefighters had to use pickaxes to try and get the dogs away from the victims. The couple was also charged with recklessly causing bodily injury to an elderly person, but that was dismissed as part of a plea deal.

Last week, Judge Velia Meza heard three days of testimony about how the attack unfolded. Najera's widow, Janie, took the stand and recounted the moment she saw one of the dogs climb over the fence and charge at her.

Investigators say that the pit bulls easily got out of their yard from a hole in the fence. According to the arrest report, a witness video showed that the dogs were not wearing collars or harnesses, which were a requirement of Animal Control Services (ACS) when they recently released the dogs back to the couple. Moreno had told investigators that he had complied with the guidelines.

Police said they received tips that Moreno and Schnieder "have been breeding the dogs and training the dogs to be aggressive with meat." according to the police report. The affidavit goes on to say that Schneider also had "recorded conversations with her husband regarding how dangerous the dogs had become. "

The couple's dogs had attacked two other people in the neighborhood on two separate occasions. ACS said they had been called out "to report the dogs' violent behavior multiple times in the past."

The three dogs, described as American Staffordshire Terriers, were euthanized.

Judge Meza said in an opening statement, “What happened to Mr. Najera was an unspeakable horror that is going to resonate in our community for a very long time. Unlike any other cases I had presided over, this one is different. It is different because we’re not dealing with an intentional act. It was a case of criminally negligent behavior.”

Judge Meza said “This was preventable” and talked about responsible dog ownership and “ensuring the safety of the people in our neighborhoods.”

“We all have that responsibility to each other, and you failed at that,” said Judge Meza.

Meza says she found the city’s testimony difficult to believe but she believes the neighbors who spoke up about the dogs that had been terrorizing them. “On the one hand, we have the city of San Antonio and Animal Care Services swearing under oath giving testimony that left me with the impression that this was about a missing affidavit. That none of the previous bite victims came forward to declare the dogs dangerous dogs."

"After hearing from the neighbors on Devla and Darda Street, I find the testimony I heard from the city of San Antonio very difficult to believe," Meza said. "The city of San Antonio is not on trial here and they will have their day in court.”
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