A 38-year-old Texas man was arrested after police say his dogs attacked his neighbor “unprovoked,” resulting in her harrowing death. The man is also reportedly linked to a separate murder case.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by USA TODAY, Marshall Garrett was charged with three counts of criminal failure to secure his Staffordshire-mix dogs in connection with the March 23 incident.
The victim, Harriette Phillips, 65, was mauled when the three dogs “broke through the shared fence in the backyard” at her Houston residence, the court document stated. Garrett did not witness the attack, but called the Houston Police Department.
During their investigation, detectives learned from neighbors that Garrett’s dogs, described as “aggressive,” have dug holes, broke fences, and clawed their way into other people’s yards several times before. One recounted one of the dogs nipping her finger when she was trying to repair her fence.
A neighbor warned Garrett about dogs before the attack: court docs
On the day of the attack, another neighbor who lived behind Garrett texted him to inform him that his dogs were in Phillips’ backyard, the complaint alleged.
In text messages obtained by police, the neighbor told Garrett that the dogs “are starting to go to our neighbor’s backyard and now, they are digging holes on my side of the fence.”
“Oh lord, I’m about to get it resolved,” Garrett responded, per the documents.
Detectives accessed footage from Phillips’ home surveillance system, which captured the attack. In the videos, the victim is seen in her backyard with a hammer trying to defend herself against the dogs.
“(Phillips) was walking towards the left side of her backyard, where it appeared that (Garrett’s) dogs had broken through her fence,” the court records said, adding that she was scanning the area.
Phillips was captured striking the fence with the hammer before the dogs “returned through the broken fence and attacked her,” prompting her to scream “Help, help,” per the complaint. She died at the scene. According to KTRK and ABC News, the three dogs were euthanized.
Garrett is reportedly connected to a murder case
According to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Garrett, who has a criminal past, was taken into custody on April 15.
Per the reports, Garrett was out on bond in connection with a murder case where a 69-year-old man died from his injuries after being allegedly assaulted by him and a woman during a money dispute outside a Houston Family Dollar last October.
Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@gannett.com.
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