Owner of Killer Pit Bulls Charged With Murder

The owner of a pack of pit bulls that mauled a 63-year-old woman to death this month has been charged with murder, in a case that has rocked the town of Littlerock, California. Alex Jackson, 29, was yesterday charged in the death of Pamela Devitt, who died after suffering as many as 200 puncture wounds while walking near her home on the morning of May 9. Though the Los Angeles Times reports such a charge is extremely rare in connection with a dog attack, "we believe there was evidence that [Jackson] was aware the dogs were vicious and they have attacked before and he knew of the danger they posed," says a rep for the DA.

Police found eight dogs in Jackson's home—six pit bulls and two mixed-breeds; four had Devitt's blood on them. "There's no way I can get the brutality of this out of my head," Devitt's husband tells the Times. Jackson faces an array of charges in addition to murder, including an assault charge tied to a separate dog-related incident: He's alleged to have on Jan. 13 heaved a rock at a rider whose horse was attacked by his dogs. One witness to that event tells ABC News that Jackson "encouraged" the dogs, saying that when the man on the horse "tried to stop the dogs, [Jackson] threw rocks at him, and said to leave his dogs alone." Jackson's bail is set at $1.05 million. (More dogs stories.)