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CINCINNATI (WXIX) – A Cincinnati father will spend at least five years in jail for the death of his daughter.
Warren Houston, who was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide and endangering children, was sentenced to five to 7.5 years on Friday, a judge announced.
The judge also ordered Houston to be on probation for two to five years after he is released from jail.
Houston’s sentencing stems from the death of his 3-year-old, Kingsley Wright, who was mauled to death by her father’s dogs.
Judge Virginia Tallent found Houston ignored known, substantial risks — a defective dog cage, signs of an aggressive animal, and Kingsley left on a couch with no barrier.
Houston closed his bedroom door and never heard her screaming. When he realized the dogs were loose, he didn’t check on her.
“This was not a momentary lapse in judgment, sir, it was not,” Judge Tallent said. “The reckless conditions identified by the court existed over a period of time and culminated in a death that cannot be reversed.”
Warren Houston was charged with involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide and child endangerment.(FOX19 NOW)3-year-old died of massive blood loss
Houston’s trial was a bench trial, meaning the judge, not the jury, decided the verdict.
Houston’s two pit bull terriers escaped their cage and mauled Kingsley Wright, who was asleep on the couch just feet away on Dec. 27, 2024.
Houston and Colbert were asleep in a bedroom down the hall with the door closed.
The attack lasted about 27 minutes. The coroner ruled Kingsley died of a dislocated neck and blood loss.
[Watch more from FOX19 NOW]‘Known risk’: Judge
Prosecutors argued that Houston showed reckless disregard for his daughter’s safety by leaving her to sleep in the same room as two dangerous dogs who were kept in a single cage with a broken latch.
The judge agreed, saying in court that there was a “known risk” that the cage was inadequate.
Dogs had no violent history: Defense
His attorney called the attack a tragic accident.
The dogs had no violent history, and Houston was not reckless, he countered.
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