Charges filed for deadly pit bull attack in Taylorsville last October

TAYLORSVILLE, Utah — A Taylorsville man is facing criminal charges nearly five months after a pit bull attack killed his 63-year-old mother. The man owned the pit bulls involved in the attack.

On Halloween last year, a group of pit bulls attacked 63-year-old Sandra Miller in her Taylorsville backyard.

The pit bulls were still attacking her when officers with the Taylorsville Police Department arrived. Police shot one of the dogs on the scene because they feared it would get out and be a danger to the public.

The six others were later put down by animal control.

Miller died from her injuries a few days after the attack.

Her son, 38-year-old Jeremy Miller, owned the seven dogs involved in the attack.

He now faces seven counts of attacks by an animal, which are all misdemeanors.

KSL Legal analyst Greg Skordas said animal charges don’t usually end with a jail sentence. But the fact that the man’s mother died in the attack may also impact any potential jail time. 

“Because the result was so egregious, and a death occurred, this might be one of those exceptions where a judge decides, maybe some jail is appropriate. And it probably won’t be significant, but 30-, 60-, 90 days for something like this where a death occurred,” Skordas said.

It’s still unlikely Miller will do jail time, Skordas said. A judge might see the death and loss as a punishment itself.

“The fact that a death occurred is horrific,” Skordas added.

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