Dog Owner Convicted Of Involuntary Manslaughter In Death

DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - The owner of four pit bulls that killed a 4-year-old Detroit boy has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

Xavier Strickland was walking with his mother in December when they were attacked by the dogs. Police had to shoot them to free the boy's body.

The owner, Geneke Lyons, wasn't home at the time. But prosecutors said he should be held responsible because the dogs weren't under control. The evidence included security video of the fatal mauling, which left some jurors in tears.

In December, a neighbor, Yolanda Samuels, told WWJ that she called 911 after hearing the boy's mother's cries.

"One of (the dogs) grabbed the baby from her and drug the baby under the fence," Samuels told WWJ's Stephanie Davis. "The dogs started mauling on the baby, and when we came out — we were getting ready to go somewhere — she said, 'Miss Lala, they've got my baby!'"

The verdict was announced Thursday, a week after trial began. A judge earlier dismissed a second-degree murder charge.

Defense attorney Francisco Villarruel told jurors it was an awful accident, not a crime. Neighbors said they occasionally saw the dogs outside the home but didn't call animal control.

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