Woman Sentenced To 10 Years In Jail After Pit Bull Killed Her Best Friend’s 4-Year-Old Daughter
A babysitter was sentenced to 10-years in jail after her pit bull mauled a 4-year-old girl in her care to death. Jena Wright was babysitting her best friend’s 4-year-old daughter, Jordyn Arndt, when the horrific mauling took place. The child was playing outside with the dog while Jena did laundry inside. As a result of the tragic death, Jena was found guilty of child endangerment, neglect of a dependent person, assault on a police officer, and interference with official acts.
According to KCCI, Jena Wright, 26, was sentenced to 10 years in jail after her dog killed 4-year-old Jordyn Arndt, who was in her care. Wright received 10 years for the child endangerment charge, 10 years for the neglect charge, one year for assault on a police officer, and two years for interference. However, the terms will be served concurrently, meaning she will likely only spend 10 years behind bars.
During her sentencing, it is reported that Wright spoke for approximately four minutes, most of that time speaking to Jordyn’s mother, Jessica. Wright says that Jessica was her best friend and that “every night” she dreams about that tragic night.
“Every night my dreams take me back to that tragic day. I miss Jordyn and Jessica every day and ache to be able to change what happened. There are no words that can possibly to justice or explain how heavy my heart is for this loss. I am sincerely sorry. Jessica, I’m truly sorry for the loss of Jordyn and the hurt I have unintentionally caused you and your family. I hope that you can remember the goes times that we shared and I pray that one day you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”
The Daily Mail reports that the mauling happened as Jena was inside doing laundry. It was noted that the small child was left outside with the American Bull Terrier, with adult supervision. The smoking gun for the prosecution seemed to be two witnesses that came forward to say that they, too, had been threatened by Brutus, Wright’s pit bull. Therefore, the prosecution claims that Wright should have known about the danger of leaving the child alone with the dog, who had previously shown aggressive tendencies.
The reporter for KCCI notes that he would have believed Wright’s apology in her sentencing statement if she would have shown more emotion throughout the trial. He noted that Wright sat emotionless, even when graphic photos were shown of the child’s body post-mauling.
“[Jason Arndt] would have believed the remarks were more sincere if Wright had shown more emotion during the trial and testimony that included graphic photos of Jordyn after the dog attack.”
What do you think about the ruling? Should laws place more responsibility on dog owners for their dog’s actions?
[Image Credit: Mugshot]
