Dog owners arraigned on 2nd-degree murder charges in man's mauling

METAMORA TOWNSHIP, Mich. – The couple that owns two dogs that killed 46-year-old jogger Craig Sytsma was in court for their arraignment Friday morning.

Prosecutors have filed second-degree murder charges against a couple they say owned two dogs that fatally mauled a 46-year-old jogger in rural Michigan.

Lapeer County Prosecutor Tim Turkelson issued the warrants Thursday against 45-year-old Sebastiano Quagliata and 44-year-old Valbona Lucaj. They're also charged with possessing a dangerous animal causing death.

According to published reports, federal authorities say the couple are Albanians living in the U.S. illegally and facing deportation.

Read: Couple facing murder charges, deportation after dog attack

The dogs are Cane Corsos. A judge ordered them to be euthanized.

A message seeking comment was left for the couple's lawyer Thursday night.

Craig Sytsma, of Livonia, was brutally mauled on July 23 in Metamora Township, 45 miles northwest of Detroit.


Recommended Videos