Pet-Abuse.Com - Animal Abuse Case Details: Dog stabbed to death during domestic dispute

Dog stabbed to death during domestic dispute
Roosevelt Park, MI (US)

Incident Date: Sunday, Dec 3, 2006
County: Muskegon
Local Map: available
Disposition: Acquitted
Charges: Felony CTA, Felony Non-CTA

Person of Interest: Christian Harold Boyd, Sr.

Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

Case ID: 10407

Classification: Stabbing

Animal: dog (non pit-bull)

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A Roosevelt Park man faces criminal charges after allegedly assaulting his wife and then stabbing the family dog and letting it bleed to death on the bathroom floor.

The dog, Hannibal, had bitten the attacker on the shoulder when he had his hands around his wife's neck during a Dec. 3 scuffle in their bedroom, according to a police report. The 2-year-old male dog then paid for his act of protection with his life.

Christian Harold Boyd Sr., 33, of 1568 Garrison, was arrested on one count of domestic assault and battery and one count of animal abandoning/cruelty. Boyd had been lodged at the Muskegon County Jail after the incident, but was released on Dec. 11.

A 10 a.m. district court arraignment for Boyd is slated for Dec 22.

According to the police report, around 6:30 p.m. Boyd fought with his 32-year-old wife over money and attempted to choke her while the two fought on their bed. Their 8-year-old son witnessed the brawl, according to a police report.

During the fight, Hannibal -- upon hearing the screams from the woman -- jumped on the bed and bit Boyd on the left shoulder, the report said.

At that point, Boyd's wife retrieved a 9mm handgun from the television stand next to the bed, grabbed the boy and fled to a nearby home.

When she returned to their home, she found Boyd had fled in a 2007 Escalade.

She then discovered Hannibal lying on the bathroom floor with an apparent stab wound on his side so large some internal organs were hanging outside his body, police said.

Animal rescue personnel was called and an official from Muskegon County Vector Control arrived in an effort to "administer aid" to the dog. Hannibal had to be "put down" because of the extensive injuries, according to the report.

Mastiffs are large dogs and can weigh in excess of 150 pounds.

When police arrived, officers discovered a butcher knife with a six- to eight-inch blade with blood on it inside the home. Boyd's wife told police she believed the blood on the knife belonged to the dog and suggested that her husband must have become angry after being bitten and stabbed the animal.

When asked if the dog had bitten anyone prior to the Dec. 3 incident, she answered, "no."

Boyd's wife indicated to police in the report that she didn't want to press charges against her husband, but authorities moved forward with both counts.

She did request a personnel protection order. She declined to comment this morning.

Case Updates

A Roosevelt Park man who was accused of choking his wife and stabbing the family dog was found not guilty Thursday of domestic violence and animal cruelty.

The verdict came after the man's wife told a different story on the stand than what she told police at the scene of the December incident.

Judge Maria Ladas Hoopes said she could not find beyond a reasonable doubt that Christian Harold Boyd Sr. assaulted his wife, Tracy Boyd, during an alleged Dec. 3 argument or that he was guilty of allowing the family dog, Hannibal, "to suffer unnecessary neglect, torture or pain."

Christian Boyd was bitten by his Cane Corso Mastiff named Hannibal -- estimated by some as weighing nearly 200 pounds -- during the argument and again when attempting to leave for the Hackley Hospital emergency room. The second bite occurred in the kitchen when Hannibal latched onto Boyd's left hand. He then said he reached for a large knife and "poked" the dog to free himself.

When the defense attorney asked Boyd to clarify what he meant by poked, Christian said, "I stabbed him."

An animal specialist testified the 10-inch abdomen wound he saw was not from a "quick in-and-out stab" but rather from a long slicing motion.

Ladas Hoopes said she could not find any instance of animal cruelty on Boyd's part because there was only one wound and the act was in self-defense because the dog was in "attack mode."

If he wanted to torture the dog, "I would think that he would have done something more severe than one cut," Ladas Hoopes said.

According to testimony, while Christian struggled with the dog, Tracy Boyd left and went to a neighbor's house for a ride to her mother's house. She called police for help when she returned home a short time later to find Hannibal lying on the bathroom floor oozing blood.

Hannibal was put down by a lethal injection at the scene by an animal specialist because of a gash in his intestine which allowed fecal matter into his body.

During the trial, there was some discrepancy as to what happened during the argument between Christian and his wife. Tracy Boyd originally told police her husband was choking her when Hannibal came to her rescue by biting her attacker on the left upper arm. However, her testimony Thursday did not corroborate that story.

Tracy Boyd told the court that she was accosting her husband, not the other way around, when the dog started to bite Christian.

"I snapped and I hit my husband and he grabbed me and said 'stop it Tracy what's wrong with you?' " she told the court.

Tracy Boyd stated repeatedly to Muskegon County prosecutors that she wanted the case dismissed, even though she said on two separate occasions that she was assaulted by her husband.

Prosecutors said it did not matter if Tracy Boyd wanted to recant her statements to police after the fact, and said her statements to police were a truer account of what happened that day.

But Ladas Hoopes found no testimony or physical evidence that suggested Tracy Boyd was assaulted by her husband. Roosevelt Park police did not find any bruises or other signs of abuse, and Tracy Boyd did not make any mention of assault when asked by 911 dispatchers.

During her ruling, Ladas Hoopes said it would be dangerous to get to the point where people in the community would be afraid of criminal charges if they defended themselves against animal attacks.

Source: Muskegon Chronicle - March 23, 2007
Update posted on Mar 23, 2007 - 10:34PM

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Muskegon Chronicle - Dec 21, 2006

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Dog stabbed to death during domestic disputeRoosevelt Park, MI (US)

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Dog stabbed to death during domestic dispute
Roosevelt Park, MI (US)