PA: Jury finds dog-fighting ringleader guilty

Jury finds dog-fighting ringleader guilty
Humane Society rescued pit bulls from house in Wilkinsburg
UPDATED 7:59 PM EDT Apr 19, 2013


After less than two hours of deliberations, a jury found 49-year-old Darryl Bryant guilty of two counts of dog fighting and one count of possessing an instrument of crime. His sentencing has been set for July 11.

Photos: Evidence from dog-fighting trial

Bryant's bond has since been revoked and he is being held in the Allegheny County Jail.

The charges stemmed from a police investigation that led to a Feb. 24, 2012, raid on the home of Bryant's mother's in Wilkinsburg.

During the trial, jurors were presented with police evidence photos of the conditions the 14 animals lived in, as well as pictures of scars on the dogs' bodies, as documented by veterinarian teams.

Photos: Police bust dog-fighting ring in Wilkinsburg

During the first day's testimony, jurors were also shown videos seized from Bryant's phone, which show some of his dogs' aggressive behavior, evidence, police said, of the dogs being trained to fight.

Other evidence photos showed what investigators found during their raid: dogs in stacked crates in a basement, their view of other dogs blocked, clamps allegedly used to give electric shocks to dogs to condition them to fight, treadmills, IV kits and syringes allegedly used on the dogs. Special photography and chemical evidence kits revealed dog bloodstain spatters on the walls.

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