Six months after the deadly mauling of Ramon Najera, the owners of the dogs that killed the 81-year-old veteran and injured his wife in February have been indicted, the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.
Christian Moreno and his wife, Abilene Schnieder, each face two felony charges. The pair are charged with failing to restrain their dangerous dogs, causing an attack causing death, a second-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison. They also face charges of causing bodily injury to the elderly, punishable by up to two years in prison.
Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales announced the indictment at the Bexar County Courthouse. Texas Rep. Liz Campos (D-San Antonio), who filed legislation that would have eliminated the affidavit process to report a dangerous dog, joined him in making the announcement, along with Najera’s wife and family.
While the indictment comes six months after Najera’s death, Gonzales said it is “normal” for the process to take six months to a year due to a need to review the case and obtain complete reports and witness statements.
“Hopefully, this will serve as a notice to the public at large, that if you fail to maintain your vicious dog in a manner that exposes you to criminal liability, we will certainly review cases brought to us by law enforcement and make decisions to prosecute those individuals,” Gonzales said.
The indictment states that Moreno failed to secure a dangerous dog he owned. The fence he maintained had numerous holes to escape through, causing the deadly attack on Feb. 24, according to the court document.
“This is the first great step in the process of accountability,” said Raymond Najera, Najera’s son. He thanked local law enforcement, Animal Care Services investigators and the DA’s office for turning his father’s death into “a beacon of hope” with their efforts to make the city a safer place to live.
Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed the Ramon Najera Act, passed during the 88th Texas legislative session, in June.
“The bill was just not about the criminal penalty, there was more to it. I’m adamant we need to get this bill passed,” Campos said, adding that she will continue re-filing the legislation until it is passed.
Najera’s grandson, Trevor Najera, said the indictment was a good first step toward protecting San Antonio residents from dangerous dogs.
“When the Governor shot down that [bill], it blew us away,” Trevor Najera said. “This is the only thing thus far that we’ve really felt, ‘OK, things are genuinely moving forward.’ … There’s still a lot more things that need to happen within ACS and the police department.”
Trevor Najera said the family wants to see better security and safety for the San Antonio community from violent dogs.
“I wouldn’t necessarily call it justice,” he said. “Even if they get the entire guilty verdict. This is a horrible thing. They had kids, too. … Really, the justice of all of this should be the motivation and the urgency to stop this from happening again.”
Moreno and Schnieder are awaiting trial.
