Grandfather Whose Pit Bulls Killed 2-Year-Old Grandson May Only Get 10-Year Sentence

donderdag 22 augustus 2013

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AppId is over the quota
by Jeanne Sager 3 hours ago

The fate of a step-grandfather accused of leaving his two young grandsons at home unsupervised with his dangerous pit bulls is in the hands of the courts now. Steven Hayashi's 2-year-old grandson, Jacob Bisbee, died when he was attacked by the dogs while the step-grandfather was out playing tennis.

According to prosecutors, Hayashi is to blame for not only knowing his dogs were dangerous, but leaving the door to the garage where the dogs were located unlocked and un-child-proofed when he left Jacob and his 4-year-old brother home alone with their sleeping grandmother. And for all of this, for alleged involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment, Hayashi is facing just 10 years in prison.

Ten years?

For knowingly leaving a child in serious danger that resulted in his death?

Is that really enough?

Let me back up a second and address the elephant in the room: not all pit bulls are dangerous. It would be irresponsible of me not to mention that in this anti-pit bull climate. Frankly, that's a kettle of fish that's much too deep for me to get into in just one blog post, but it must be put out there (and if you want more info, check out this great post from the ASPCA on pet behavior and pits).

Now.

Moving on.

Although not every pit bull is dangerous, in this step-grandfather's case, police say his weren't just vicious, but he knew it! The dogs had already killed two family pets and showed aggression toward little Jacob. Prosecutors allege Hayashi had ignored family members' requests that he get rid of the dogs, stating:

But as he told his wife, the dogs were his, and the children were his step-grandchildren, and they should leave before the dogs.

Unfortunately, little Jacob did leave. He died while his grandma was sleeping, while his grandpa was out playing tennis.

The case is still in court, so Hayashi is innocent until proven guilty, but it certainly sounds like he cared nothing for this little boy's safety. Is it really so hard to put off your tennis game until a responsible adult is awake and ready to watch the kids for you? Is it really so hard to LOCK a door?

And if this case proceeds as it stands; if his grandfather is convicted; the message the court sends is that his life is only worth 10 years in prison.

What do you think of the charges and potential punishment here? Is it enough?

Image via v1ctor/Flickr

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jeanne Sager

writes articles for The Stir by day, slays closet monsters and bounds through bedtime stories with her elementary schooler by night. The Phineas and Ferb soundtrack reverberates through her brain.

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Dad Who Killed 3 Daughters Gets a Life Sentence for Each of Them

woensdag 17 juli 2013

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A dad who killed his three daughters in a twisted revenge plot against his ex-wife thought he'd get out of prison with an insanity defense. Good news: it didn't work. Aaron Schaffhausen won't ever see the light of day again. A Wisconsin judge handed down not one, not two, but three life sentences this week.

And no, Schaffhausen won't have a chance at parole.

Thank.

Goodness.

You know what this means?

It means that each of these children meant something, means something to the courts, that each child's death is being avenged, not lumped in with her sisters.

As Judge Howard Cameron, who chose the maximum sentence available under Wisconsin law for Schaffhausen, explained, he wanted to show "each child is so important."

Oh, and it also means Schaffhausen's play to get himself out of prison by pleading guilty by reason of insanity rather than not guilty (his initial plea) didn't work. He's still going to pay, REALLY pay for being a monster.

Think three life sentences are overkill? Isn't one enough? Maybe from a legal standpoint, yes, but when you consider the crimes he committed, it sounds just right to me.

This so-called dad arranged for an unscheduled visit with his children, then he slit each child's throat, tucked them into bed, and set the house on fire. It wasn't until after it was too late to save the girls that Schaffhausen then called ex-wife Jessica and told her "you can come home now" and told her that her daughters were dead.

Now you see why I called him a monster. I wasn't hyperbolizing.

The scary thing is, this monster could have gotten just 20 years in prison followed by supervised release.

He could have walked free.

That he won't is a win for the girls' mother, for their memories.

Of course, life sentences, with or without parole are not nearly as good as having his three daughters alive and well and doing what little kids are supposed to do. But in light of what he did to 11-year-old Amara, 8-year-old Sophie, and 5-year-old Cecilia, this sentence is pretty darn good news.

What do you make of the sentence? Enough? Too much?

Image via St. Croix County Sheriff's Office

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