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Who is Lorenzo Cardenas? Alabama man whose dogs mauled boy, 7, to death charged

Lorenzo Cardenas was charged after Shamar Jackson was mauled to death by a pack of dogs owned by him

MARION COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA: Authorities in South Carolina announced on Monday, June 28, that a man was detained in connection with the death of a 7-year-old boy who was mauled to death by a pack of dogs earlier this month.

In an earlier incident in June this year, a three-year-old toddler from New Jersey fell out of a window at his home, after which he was mauled to death by the family's pet dogs. In another similar incident in March, a 1-year-old died after the family dog bit her on the head for getting too close to its food bowl. Last year, an Illinois toddler was mauled to death by a pit bull after her parents left her in a playpen.

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The allegations against Lorenzo Cardenas, who was recently indicted in the crime, originate from a dog attack that killed Shamar Jackson on June 13. Shamar was attacked by the dogs while walking in the neighborhood with his brothers, according to authorities. The other two youngsters managed to flee.

Who is Lorenzo Cardenas?

Cardenas, 41, is a resident of Marion, South Carolina. He has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and animal cruelty or penalty for being the owner of a hazardous animal that has attacked and injured a human, the Marion County Sheriff's Office said, according to WMBF. The dogs were owned by Cardenas, who appeared for a hearing in court on Tuesday morning. The bond hearing has been rescheduled for 1 pm on Wednesday after Cardenas stated that he did not speak English well and required an interpreter, WPDE reported.

“It hurts, trust me,” Carnell Jackson, the boy's father, said. “I did not know that when I went to work that day, I would come home and my son would be gone.” “I was just like, ‘Lord just let him live, breathe into his lungs', but he had lost a lot of blood," he added. He said that Shamar, a first-grader, was looking for their chihuahua, Remi, with his brothers while walking on Wilbur Road and Cleo Road in Marion County. 

“I know he [his son] wasn’t going to leave without Remi. So, they called her and she ran to them. When she ran back to them, the [neighbors] dogs were running behind her. So, Aiden, my older son, ran on the fence over here, jumped on the fence,” Jackson said while speaking to WPDE, adding that Shamar too, proceeded to jump the fence. “And the baby boy, Shamar, he jumped on the fence, but he fell backwards, and he was just kicking the gate,” Carnell explained. “One of the dogs came down here and ran to that side and just dragged him back. And ripped all of his clothes off of his body. You know, mauled him.” A funeral for the child was held on Thursday, June 24, in Latta.

According to Marion County Sheriff Brian Wallace, Marion County animal control has removed six dogs from Cardenas' property and placed them at the Marion County animal shelter. One of the dogs, though, managed to get away. Officers are doing everything they can to locate and detain the dog, according to officials, as reported by WPDE.

People took to Twitter to comment on the incident. "I was surprised by the low fence in the video. Where and what condition does Lorenzo Cardenas keep his dogs? The dog(s) and owner should be put down. I own German Shepherds. We're outside on our property with them and they're inside with us as well. They stay secured," said a Twitter user who saw video footage of the incident.