A Cane Corso, which is an Italian Mastiff breed, and a very large dog overall, is said by the American Kennel Association to be an intelligent and companionable animal which bonds well with children and is easily trained. However, one must not forget that this dog, which averages at about 110 pounds, was bred for hunting wild boar and guarding properties against invasion.
All of this information will play a role in the upcoming trial of Sebastiano Quagliata and his wife, Valbona Lucaj, a Metamora couple who are charged with second degree murder for the fatal mauling of Craig Sytsma.
Sytsma, 46, who is a father of three, was attacked and killed by the Quagliata’s pair of untrained Cane Corsos while he was jogging down a rural road on the evening of July 23rd.
But what makes this situation unique though, is the fact that fatal dog mauling cases are normally tried as manslaughter and not second degree murder. Michigan law defines second degree murder as knowingly creating the risk of great bodily harm or death, even if it was entirely unintended that the victim die.
And that is exactly what the prosecution intends to do here – prove that the Quagliatas were aware of the fact that their dogs were a dangerous menace and did nothing about it.
The two dogs were dangerous and were in dire need of training
For example, the couple was warned about three months before the mauling by their family vet that the two dogs were dangerous and were in dire need of training, but the couple chose not to heed the vet’s advice. In addition, there have been at least two recorded instances of the dogs biting individuals.
Sebastiano Quagliata also admitted to police on the day of Sytsma’s death that his dogs were known for escaping from their kennels and running wild in the neighborhood.
At the recent preliminary examination, a former victim of the Quagliata’s dogs shared his testimony with the court, explaining how the pair had circled him and tried to attack. He was bitten on the leg, and managed to hold the dogs at bay with his walking stick.
When Sebastiano came out and called the dogs off, he asked the 73-year-old man not to call the police, and to accept money in return for his silence. The man refused and called 911.
This testimony, in addition to the information about another attack on a neighborhood walker in 2012, is all that the prosecution feels in needed to prove to the jury that the Quagliatas owned two very large, very poorly trained murder weapons which they did little to control.
The couple’s trial is scheduled to begin in February. We will be watching closely to see how this turns out for all parties involved.