A Littlerock dog owner convicted of second-degree murder after his four pit bulls mauled a woman to death in 2013 was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison Friday.
A jury took less than one day in August to reach a guilty verdict for Alex Donald Jackson in the May 9, 2013 dog attack on 63-year-old Pamela Devitt.
Devitt, a married grandmother, was walking on a dusty stretch of road in the southeastern Antelope Valley when the frenzied group of dogs attacked her. The dogs seized after the attack included six pit bulls and two mixed-breed dogs.
"Her story should not have ended in such a horrific way," Devitt’s husband, Benjamin, said in court. "If one dog owner looks at these proceedings and does the right responsible thing with his animals, they very well have already saved someone's life."
Outside court, he said, "I constantly have to take out of my head the last minutes of my wife's life. I cannot think about that."
He said his wife started taking walks for fun and for her health.
Jackson was also convicted of three drug-related charges, including cultivating marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale and possession of a controlled substance.
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Hours after the attack, deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department searched Jackson’s home and through DNA testing confirmed that blood found on four of his dogs was Devitt’s. Jackson was arrested, and after being released on bail, was re-arrested and has remained jailed since.
His brother, Vincent, pleaded with the judge for leniency.
"He definitely has learned a lesson with all of this," Vincent Jackson said in court. "I can't ... apologize enough."
