Prosecutor: Murder suspect's dogs saw 'child as meal'

The parents of a 4-year-old boy killed by a pack of pit bulls welcomed a murder charge brought against the dogs’ owner Monday, saying he deserves “whatever he has coming to him.”

"Life in jail, no parole, electric chair, I just want him to feel the pain I feel,” said Clarence Strickland, the father of Xavier Strickland.

“… Feel the pain my son felt when those dogs were eating him up, just feel the pain. My son getting mauled, I never expected it. …To snatch a baby from up under his mama, drag him under the fence and eat him like he was dog food or something, it’s terrible. I never expected this.”

Geneke Antonio Lyons, 41, who owned the four dogs, was arraigned Monday afternoon on charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter and possessing dangerous animals causing death.

"The evidence in this case will show that these dogs saw this child as meal, and we believe that we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the alleged actions of the defendant in this case ‎rise to the level of murder in the second degree," Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a news release, announcing the criminal charges. "It is a gross understatement to say that this case is harrowing example of irresponsible pet ownership.”

Also on Monday, the family announced it was filing two lawsuits against Lyons and the property owner, a limited license corporation owned by Lyons.

The four pit bulls attacked Xavier last Wednesday, dragging him away from his mother as they walked along Baylis Street near the John C. Lodge Freeway on the city's west side, according to Worthy's office.

Three of the dogs were killed by shots fired by a police sergeant at the scene. A fourth dog was quarantined and later euthanized.

At his arraignment Monday in 36th District Court, Lyons was remanded to the county jail without bond. He said nothing as he was arraigned via video camera.

Lyons' attorney, seeking an affordable bond, said his client had no criminal record, did not abuse drugs, was gainfully employed and paid his taxes. But Magistrate Dawn White ordered Lyons back to jail without explanation.

"Step away from the camera, sir," White ordered, closing the hearing.

The family's attorney, Mark Bernstein, said in a statement that Xavier’s death should force the community to consider what they believe is a “long-standing problem of Detroit property and dog owners who fail to show an acceptable level of responsibility to protect their innocent neighbors.”

Lucillie Strickland was walking with Xavier at about 12:30 p.m. Dec. 2 on her way to volunteer at Thurgood Marshall Elementary School when the pit bulls rushed at them. She fell on the boy and was bit on her ear, leg and back. As she was getting up, the dogs grabbed Xavier.

The dogs pulled him away from her grasp, dragged him under a fence and mauled him to death as she watched in horror.

According to Bernstein, the dogs dragged the boy about 25 feet across the street and into a pen where they were normally held inside the yard. The Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office ruled the death an accident and said Xavier died of multiple puncture wounds.

The prosecutor's news release said the dogs had been a known problem in the neighborhood and had escaped their fenced area in the past. Xavier's uncle, Ramone Cage, previously said that the boy's 9-year-old sister had been attacked by the dogs last month but got away. Neighbors previously told the Free Press they'd seen the dogs outside before as well.

"These dogs were constantly tormenting people," Lucillie Strickland said. Clarence Strickland said he sometimes walked by the home on the way to his railroad job. He said "everyone was afraid" of the dogs in the neighborhood.

The lawsuit states that Xavier’s mother was permanently injured trying to save her son’s life.

“This case should be a wake-up call for our community,” Bernstein said. “We get calls every day at our office about injuries caused by dogs with dangerous owners. But this affects our region more profoundly – it’s the death of a child. It’s time to address this problem in a very serious way.”

Bernstein also represented Steve Constantine, a man who was viciously attacked by a pack of dogs outside a Detroit home last October. Constantine lost most of his left arm, his left leg below the knee and his left ear in the mauling. Police killed one dog and rounded up at least 11 others.

Bernstein said a $100-million "symbolic" judgment was awarded to Constantine and he hopes a similar outcome in the Stricklands' case, which he called another tragic example of irresponsible dog owners.

"That case involved horrific facts involving an attack of pit bulls very similar to this," Bernstein said. "We believe that this case has elements of it that are every bit as horrific as that and perhaps worse. ...We are done accepting this and we are going to make a statement with this case, just as we did what that, and we’re going to proceed very aggressively."

This isn't the first time Lyons has been charged with a crime. On May 22, 1993, he was convicted in Wayne County Circuit Court of a felony possession of between 50 and 225 grams of cocaine. It was not immediately clear whether he served any prison time for the conviction.

Lyons was indicted in 2005 on a money laundering charge after he was stopped and arrested in Shamrock, Texas, according to court records. Texas Department of Safety troopers seized $106,254 in cash from his 2005 Jeep, the records show.

Lyons sued the state of Texas in an attempt to recoup the money seized from his vehicle, but he lost the case, according to Texas court records. He later filed an appeal that went all the way to the Texas Supreme Court, which denied his petition on April 8, 2011. The criminal charge was later dropped in 2013, according to the court records.

The home where the attack occurred is owned by Genique Real Estate Management Co., city of Detroit’s tax assessor site records show. According to Michigan’s Business Entity website, the business, which appears to be a real estate company, is registered under Geneke Lyons.

"We believe that the owner of the property lived there and is also owner of the dogs," Bernstein said.

While Xavier's mother applauded the criminal charges against Lyons, she said the mauling will forever be cemented in her mind.

"As we talk about it I relive it, as we speak about it, I relive it," Lucillie Strickland said. "There's nothing that’s going to change that. Every day is a new day, but it's going to be there forever. I will never cope with it. Never. I will never deal with it because it's going to be there forever, but I’m going to go on and live for my son most definitely. Will I fight for justice? Most definitely. But how do I go on without him? It’s something I can't even tell you."

Detroit Free Press staff writer Gina Damron contributed to this report.

Contact Robert Allen at rallen@freepress.com or @rallenMI.

Contact Katrease Stafford at kstafford@freepress.com or @Katreases_Freep.