A Texas couple has been sentenced to significant prison terms following the fatal mauling of 81-year-old Ramon Najera by their pit bulls. Christian Moreno received an 18-year sentence, while Abilene Schnieder was sentenced to 15 years after pleading guilty to charges of attack by dog resulting in death.
The incident occurred on February 24, 2023, near their San Antonio home, where the dogs escaped and attacked Najera and his wife, Juanita Najera, as they were running errands. Juanita sustained injuries during the attack. Prior complaints had been filed against Moreno and Schnieder regarding their aggressive dogs.
“What happened to Mr. Najera was an unspeakable horror,” stated 226th District Court Judge Velia J. Meza during sentencing. Eyewitness accounts described firefighters having to use pickaxes to fend off the dogs as they arrived on the scene, where Najera was being dragged by the animals.
The three dogs involved in the attack were euthanized shortly after the incident. The district attorney’s office highlighted that Moreno and Schnieder were criminally negligent by failing to secure their property adequately, allowing the dogs to roam freely.
In court, Juanita Najera spoke about the lasting impact of the tragedy, revealing that she now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. “I would never have imagined I’d be calling myself a widow at this time in my life, and in this tragic way,” she said. “PTSD is now something I will have to deal with the rest of my life. Extreme loneliness and emptiness will also be a part of my life.”