77-year-old woman killed in a dog attack on her Phoenix porch

By Randall Perry On Jul 11, 2021

PHOENIX (KNXV) – A 77-year-old Phoenix woman is dead after being attacked by dogs on her porch. Her family is badly affected by the loss and the owner of the dogs is charged with negligent homicide.

Every photo of 77-year-old Eliza Sebastian Ruiz, also known as Maria, brings back memories for her daughter Refugia Alonso, whom she will no longer take for granted after Ruiz was killed in a dog attack. She says, “You’ve taken the one you love most and you can never get it back.”

The police found Ruiz just after 7 a.m. Lying on the ground Tuesday morning, surrounded by four mixed Staffordshire Terrier dogs. She was taken to the hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.

77-year-old Eliza Sebastian Ruiz was killed in an attack by four mixed Staffordshire Terrier dogs on her porch in Phoenix, police said.(Source: KNXV via CNN)

The dog’s owner, 33-year-old Alejandro Hernandez, is now charged with negligent homicide.

Police say Maricopa County Animal Care and Control had been in contact with Hernandez in the past to escape dogs. He was told to fix a gate to protect his dogs but did not do so and told police he “didn’t have time”. Hernandez also admitted previous incidents in which the dogs bite other people.

Blake Mayes, an attorney with MayesTelles PLLC, says Arizona’s dog bite law is a “strict liability” law.

The owner of the dogs, 33-year-old Alejandro Hernandez, is charged with negligent homicide. Police said he told them that the dogs had fled several times in the past and that they followed and bit other neighbors.(Source: Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, KNXV via CNN)

“If you have a dog that bites another without provocation, provocation as defense, then you adhere strictly, that is, you don’t have to prove anything. You don’t have to prove you did anything wrong. You don’t have to prove that you acted negligently. They just stick, ”Mayes said.

Offenders are liable for medical bills along with pain and suffering.

Alonso says her family can never see Ruiz again, while Hernandez’s family can still visit him in prison. A GoFundMe page was set up to raise funds for Ruiz’s funeral.