Couple Scheduled For Deportation Has Dogs That Maul And Kill Jogger, Couple Charged With Murder

In a case that is a first of its kind, a couple from Lapeer County, Michigan, are being charged with second degree murder after their dogs mauled and killed a jogger. According to Fox News 47, the couple owned a number of Cane Corso dogs responsible for mauling and killing a jogger. The couple is being charged with second degree murder and owning a dangerous animal causing death.

Sebastiano Quagliata and Valbona Lucaj were arraigned yesterday on the charges and could end up with life in prison if convicted. This is the first time in Michigan history that a dog’s owner is being charged with murder following a death caused by the dog. However, many lawyers believe the prosecution may have a sound case against the couple. David Clark, a personal injury lawyer in Lansing, said it comes down to whether or not the couple knew they had a dangerous dog capable of killing on their hands or not.

“When you have a dangerous animal that you know it’s dangerous, then you start crossing over into the area of civil liability into criminal liability. You cannot see that dog as a pet, it’s no longer a pet. It becomes a dangerous weapon similar to a loaded gun.”

To make the case even further complicated, MLive reports that the couple was actually nearing deportation. According to the report, in 1997 the couple sought asylum in the U.S. from Albania. Authorities say Italian Sebastiano Quagliata, 45, and Albanian Valbona Lucaj, 44, obtained asylum status in the United States after immigration administrator John Shandorf was bribed. The couple was actually part of the bribery case, according to court documents, but no charges were ever brought against them.

It wasn’t until 2003 that the couple was actually granted lawful resident status. However, in 2005 the government contacted the couple telling them they were seeking to terminate their asylum status due to fraud on their asylum application. In 2009, the asylum status was officially terminated for the couple. This meant that the couple was ineligible for naturalization despite their lawful permanent resident status.

In 2012, the couple had a run in with both animal control and law enforcement when one of their dogs bit a woman on the leg. In 2013, a second biting incident occurred at the home with another man going to the hospital for bite treatment. Both times the couple quarantined the dog for 10 days and then did nothing further. Initially the couple denied the dogs were theirs, though they later conceded.

On March 31, 2014, the Detroit U.S. District Judge Gerald Rosen declined to stop the couple’s deportation, supporting the government’s contention that Lucaj “lacked good moral character” as evidenced by the alleged fraud. Therefore, the couple was scheduled to be deported. Sadly, for jogger Craig Sytsma, it would be too late. On July 23, 2014, Craig was jogging past the couple’s home when he was mauled by two of the couple’s Cane Corso dogs. Sytsma was taken to the hospital where he died from the injuries sustained during the mauling.

The couple, who prosecutors believe should have been fully aware of the danger posed by their dogs who were involved in previous biting incidents, may now face life in prison for the death of Sytsma. Cooley Law School professor Tonya Krause-Phelan has been in law for over 25 years and said she has never heard of case where someone in Michigan has been charged with murder for the actions of their dog.

What do you think? Should the couple be held responsible for the mauling death of the jogger at the hands of their dogs?

[Image Source: Daytona Daily News]