SAN ANTONIO – The punishment phase for a couple at the center of a deadly dog attack resumes on Wednesday.
Christian Moreno and Abilene Schnieder pleaded guilty to the charge of dangerous dog attack resulting in death in August and will now be asking the judge for probation in the case. The state, though, is still seeking the maximum punishment of 20 years in prison.
The fatal incident occurred on Feb. 24, 2023, when Ramon Najera and his wife were attacked by two of three loose dogs after getting out of their vehicle on Depla Street, off Highway 90 and Cupples Road.
Ramon Najera died of his injuries later that day.
Moreno and Schnieder unexpectedly pleaded guilty the week jury selection was to begin.
On Tuesday, Janie Najera, the wife of Ramon Najera, tearfully recounted the harrowing incident, the painful recovery from the dog bites she suffered and the guilt of surviving the ordeal.
“I cry in the mornings and I grab my pillow and I say ‘how can this happen to us?” she said.
Janie Najera said she constantly wonders what she could’ve done to help her husband or what else he could’ve done to get away from the dogs.
“He always thought he had at least 20 more years,” she said.
On Monday, neighbors described living in fear on the witness stand.
The state’s first witness, David Avila, was a neighbor of the defendants who lived directly across from the couple.
Avila testified that he was bitten by one of the dogs in September 2022 while he was getting his trash bin.
Another neighbor who testified was Deborah Flores, who said that she had concerns about the dogs since 2021.
“They would climb my fence, take trash out of my bins,” Flores said.
Moreno and Schnieder’s dogs caused Flores to live in fear, she testified. She said never let her kids or animals out alone.
The punishment phase will proceed without a jury, with 226th Judge Velia Meza presiding.
After a week of testimony, Meza will announce sentencing on Sept. 20.