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An Antelope Valley man was sentenced today to 15 years to life in prison after his four pit bulls mauled a woman to death while she was talking a stroll.Last month, Alex Donald Jackson, 31, was found guilty of second-degree murder of 63-year-old Pamela Devitt, according to CBS Los Angeles.
Devitt, a married grandmother, was on a morning walk on May 9, 2013 in Littlerock when four of Jackson's pit bulls jumped over his fence and attacked her, clawing and biting her. According to the L.A. Times, Devitt had suffered over 150 puncture wounds and died on the way to the hospital.
After L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. deputies seized eight of Jackson's dogs, they found Devitt's blood and DNA on four of the pit bulls.
Prosecutors said that Jackson knew his dogs had attacked several other people and animals in the past, but he did nothing about it. “So he was put on notice that the dogs were dangerous and he failed to take any action to protect the public,” prosecutor Samantha McDonald said in August. “And the theory of murder is implied malice, that, knowing that the dogs were dangerous, he acted with reckless disregard for human life by not either getting rid of them or securing them on his property.”
The pit bulls were on Jackson's property to guard his marijuana growing operation, prosecutors said. He was also convicted of three drug-related charges, including growing marijuana and possession of marijuana for sale, NBC Los Angeles reported.
Devitt's husband, Benjamin Devitt, said that his wife starting taking walks to be healthy. "It was just taking care of herself by walking and staying healthy and wanting to live a long life for our family and herself," he said.
