The malevolent mutt that fatally mauled a 4-year-old boy as his terrified brothers watched from beneath a bed was trained to kill by the dead child's stepdad, neighbors said Saturday.
Brooklyn residents who watched Damian Jones walk his powerful pets on the street were shocked but not surprised by the canine carnage that left little Jayelin Graham dead in a blood-spattered bedroom.
"Those dogs were vicious," said building superintendent Kenny Risher, 50. "They stink and they are nasty. The same dog ate their (pet) rabbit."
Another neighbor, who tried desperately to help free the child from the brutal Cane Corso dubbed "Machete," said there was no chance of pulling the overmatched boy from the dog's death grip.
"He was trained to kill," said the 29-year-old man. "He had the boy by his throat. The dog was shaking him. He had no chance."
But Jones, known as "Animal" or "Dread," and his devastated fiancée Saquina (Honey) Jubeark insisted the death was a tragic accident.
"He was like a big Scooby-Doo," said Jones, whose Facebook page says he's a fan of the television program "When Animals Attack."
"He acted like a big kid and just wanted to play."
Jubeark, a mother of four, was sobbing and hysterical when she returned to the gore-covered apartment after hours of questioning at a Brooklyn police precinct. Later, she absolved her fiancé of any blame.
"It was not my son's or (Jones') fault," she told The News. "The dog had showed no sign of aggression."
Jones, who was working when the fatal attack occurred, brought the Italian-bred dog home two months ago. The dogs are large, muscular animals traditionally used to hunt wild boars.
The couple was preparing for both Jubeark's 24th birthday and their June 10 wedding - two events now linked forever to the horrific killing.
Police said the fatal attack went down in a matter of seconds, when Jubeark returned to the squalid apartment with her four kids.
The bride-be-be left her three boys alone in a bedroom as she carried her infant daughter into the hallway to grab her keys from a stroller.
When she came back, the ferocious dog had its jaws locked on the little boy's neck as his brothers - age 2 and 5 - cowered beneath a nearby bed. Cops needed a tranquilizer gun to take the snarling dog down.
The child was pronounced dead at Brookdale University Hospital.
"What a horrible way to die," said the boy's great-grandfather, Ameer Jamaal-Uddin. "I have a lot of frustrations, a lot of emotions, a lot of anger."
Family and neighbors recalled Jayelin as a happy-go-lucky kid often spotted playing outside. He was the second of his mother's four kids, arriving after 5-year-old Sincere and before Jordan, 2, and 6-month-old Savannah.
"He was a bright kid - good-looking little fella," said great-grandmother Ethel Jolly, 79. "When I would see him, he would call me grandma and say, 'You have to kiss me on both my cheeks.'"
The mother was released without any charges filed in the mauling. An investigation was continuing, said a spokesman for the Brooklyn district attorney.
The Administration for Children's Services was also investigating the case, although an agency spokeswoman declined to say if there was any prior history with the family.
Jayelin's grandmother, Amrett Graham, said several calls had been made to ACS.
"A lot of people called," said Graham, 49. "I don't know if they actually came, but people pleaded to get the kids out of that house."
Neighbors described the family's seedy first-floor home as a small zoo with the Cane Corso, two other dogs, two birds and fish. Cops removed two dogs from the apartment early Saturday.
Risher and other neighbors said Jones would wear a protective arm guard while training the fierce dogs outside the family's Brownsville apartment.
"They looked mean," Risher said. "Nobody would want to go near them. They were trained to fight."
Some recalled the dogs foaming at the mouth as Jones worked the dogs into a street-clearing frenzy.
"It was a violent dog," said neighbor Anthony Brown, 35, of Machete. "Dangerous. A big dog. The whole block is scared of that dog."
The killer canine was taken to the city Animal Care & Control for a 10-day observation period before a decision will be made on its future, officials said.
Great-grandfather Jamaal-Uddin said Machete was typically laid-back. "I guess it's just like humans," he said. "It's the quiet ones you have to watch."
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011/05/29/2011-05-29_mutant_mutt_was_trained_to_kill_by_owner.html#ixzz1Nttq2Fje
Brooklyn residents who watched Damian Jones walk his powerful pets on the street were shocked but not surprised by the canine carnage that left little Jayelin Graham dead in a blood-spattered bedroom.
"Those dogs were vicious," said building superintendent Kenny Risher, 50. "They stink and they are nasty. The same dog ate their (pet) rabbit."
Another neighbor, who tried desperately to help free the child from the brutal Cane Corso dubbed "Machete," said there was no chance of pulling the overmatched boy from the dog's death grip.
"He was trained to kill," said the 29-year-old man. "He had the boy by his throat. The dog was shaking him. He had no chance."
But Jones, known as "Animal" or "Dread," and his devastated fiancée Saquina (Honey) Jubeark insisted the death was a tragic accident.
"He was like a big Scooby-Doo," said Jones, whose Facebook page says he's a fan of the television program "When Animals Attack."
"He acted like a big kid and just wanted to play."
Jubeark, a mother of four, was sobbing and hysterical when she returned to the gore-covered apartment after hours of questioning at a Brooklyn police precinct. Later, she absolved her fiancé of any blame.
"It was not my son's or (Jones') fault," she told The News. "The dog had showed no sign of aggression."
Jones, who was working when the fatal attack occurred, brought the Italian-bred dog home two months ago. The dogs are large, muscular animals traditionally used to hunt wild boars.
The couple was preparing for both Jubeark's 24th birthday and their June 10 wedding - two events now linked forever to the horrific killing.
Police said the fatal attack went down in a matter of seconds, when Jubeark returned to the squalid apartment with her four kids.
The bride-be-be left her three boys alone in a bedroom as she carried her infant daughter into the hallway to grab her keys from a stroller.
When she came back, the ferocious dog had its jaws locked on the little boy's neck as his brothers - age 2 and 5 - cowered beneath a nearby bed. Cops needed a tranquilizer gun to take the snarling dog down.
The child was pronounced dead at Brookdale University Hospital.
"What a horrible way to die," said the boy's great-grandfather, Ameer Jamaal-Uddin. "I have a lot of frustrations, a lot of emotions, a lot of anger."
Family and neighbors recalled Jayelin as a happy-go-lucky kid often spotted playing outside. He was the second of his mother's four kids, arriving after 5-year-old Sincere and before Jordan, 2, and 6-month-old Savannah.
"He was a bright kid - good-looking little fella," said great-grandmother Ethel Jolly, 79. "When I would see him, he would call me grandma and say, 'You have to kiss me on both my cheeks.'"
The mother was released without any charges filed in the mauling. An investigation was continuing, said a spokesman for the Brooklyn district attorney.
The Administration for Children's Services was also investigating the case, although an agency spokeswoman declined to say if there was any prior history with the family.
Jayelin's grandmother, Amrett Graham, said several calls had been made to ACS.
"A lot of people called," said Graham, 49. "I don't know if they actually came, but people pleaded to get the kids out of that house."
Neighbors described the family's seedy first-floor home as a small zoo with the Cane Corso, two other dogs, two birds and fish. Cops removed two dogs from the apartment early Saturday.
Risher and other neighbors said Jones would wear a protective arm guard while training the fierce dogs outside the family's Brownsville apartment.
"They looked mean," Risher said. "Nobody would want to go near them. They were trained to fight."
Some recalled the dogs foaming at the mouth as Jones worked the dogs into a street-clearing frenzy.
"It was a violent dog," said neighbor Anthony Brown, 35, of Machete. "Dangerous. A big dog. The whole block is scared of that dog."
The killer canine was taken to the city Animal Care & Control for a 10-day observation period before a decision will be made on its future, officials said.
Great-grandfather Jamaal-Uddin said Machete was typically laid-back. "I guess it's just like humans," he said. "It's the quiet ones you have to watch."
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011/05/29/2011-05-29_mutant_mutt_was_trained_to_kill_by_owner.html#ixzz1Nttq2Fje
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