‘I was positive they were going to kill someone’: Dog attack victim testifies in criminal negligence case

Kache Grist, 11, was killed in a dog attack in Edmonton on April 1, 2024. (Supplied)

A woman who was attacked by two Cane Corsos two months before the same dogs killed an 11-year-old boy recounted the traumatic incident in an Edmonton courtroom Wednesday.

Crystal Macdonald is on trial facing a charge of criminal negligence causing death as the keeper of the dogs that killed Kache Krist.

Tina Kelepouris testified she looked after the dogs more than a dozen times, while they were puppies, before they attacked her in February of 2024.

Around 2 p.m., Kelepouris and two other friends went over to MacDonald’s house to visit her and her dogs, Chaos and Cairo.

Kelepouris said they let themselves into the home using the door’s key code since MacDonald was out running errands and was expected to return soon.

She said she hadn’t seen the two dogs for over a year, but she was excited to spend time with them and brought homemade dog treats.

Court heart she had extensive experience dealing with large-breed dogs since she’s owned several and volunteered at a pitbull rescue.

Kelepouris said the dogs were loose in the home when they entered and showed no aggression.

“I gave them lots of hugs and kisses as usual, and they were wagging their tails like crazy and were really excited,” she said.

The three friends then decided to let the dogs out in the backyard.

A video exhibit from court shows Kelepouris playing with the dogs on the grass while her two friends watch from the deck.

After about four minutes, one of the dogs knocks her down and the second dog runs over.

The dogs appear to pull at her, and roll her around, before she begins to scream.

As her friends intervene, Kelepouris is heard yelling, “They’re biting me. They’re biting me.”

She is eventually freed, but a few moments later, one of the dogs is seen escaping the friend’s grip and following her to the house.

The dog grabs her again before the friend who was holding it previously helps pull it off.

Dog owner ‘shrugged’ after attack: witness

Kelepouris told court she was in “complete shock” after it happened and didn’t realize how bad the attack was, though she noticed she was “bleeding everywhere”.

As the three friends were leaving to get medical attention, she said MacDonald arrived home.

Kelepouris said MacDonald asked whether she was okay, and she replied, “I don’t know.”

She said MacDonald shrugged and said, “That’s why I don’t play with the dogs anymore.”

At the hospital, Kelepouris said she learned she had broken ribs, a punctured lung and deep bite marks that required more than a dozen stitches.

She said she spent four days in hospital and could not work for six weeks.

Kelepouris said she learned from a friend after the attack that the dogs had previously attacked MacDonald, and she was angry she was not told before the visit.

A few weeks later, Kelepouris said she sent a message to MacDonald stating she planned to file a report with Animal Control, “because after I got attacked, I was positive they were going to kill someone.”

She said MacDonald didn’t reply.

During cross-examination, the defence pointed out several instances when MacDonald tried to contact Kelepouris in the hospital, offering to help.

Kelepouris said after learning about the previous attack, she no longer trusted her.

Victim’s father expected to testify Thursday

The crown is expected to wrap up its case Thursday and is expected to call Kache Grist’s father, Wesley, as a witness.

Video from a neighbour’s backyard was played in court on Wednesday with audio of Wesley Grist screaming after discovering his son after the April 2024 attack.

At the time, he told the media it was the hardest thing he’d been through in his life.