I had written about Gage , the beloved 7 yr. old male Pitbull, who was shot and killed in his own backyard after he had been left out to do his business on March 12th, 2008 in Louisiana. The neighbor, Ray Stanfill, the person responsible for this heinous, despicable act, had made threats to shoot Gage because of his barking.
That morning when Gage lost his life, Mr. Stanfill claimed Gage had jumped the fence into his yard and Stanfill feared for his life. Shana Burke,Gage’s mom, heard a loud noise and called for Gage. Her two Yorkies who had been outside as well, were clamoring to get inside when Shana had gone to the back door to investigate. They were extremely frightened. But Gage didn’t come when Shana yelled for him .
Let me remind you that Gage was loved by many. He got along with adults, children, other dogs, cats, rabbits etc. He never showed signs of aggression and had been trained properly to be a good dog. He understood the word no. But, yes, he did bark. That’s what dogs do.
Shana found him in a pool of blood in her own backyard. He died in her arms. Gage’s collar was blown off. It was apparent that Stanfill place the barrel of a shotgun through the fence and placed it at Gage’s chest.
Stanfill finally had his day in court on and the sentence has been handed down this past September 30th. Let me preface this by saying that no amount of jail time could bring Gage back even though the family would love for Stanfill to spend a long time in jail. And rightly so. To all the animal lovers out there, I know you can relate. As I had said before, I don’t know ever want to know what the family had to endure because I don’t know what I would do if I was in the same scenario.
I have heard from Shana via email and she is so thankful for the outpouring of support she and her family has received during this difficult time. This has been an extremely painful, heart-breaking time for Shana and her husband Britt. Gage had traveled the world with them since Britt is in the service.
Because the way the laws are stated in Louisiana, Stanfill could only be charged with a misdemeanor. Unbelievable! There is a loophole in the current law and the Burke family is fighting to change this law. They don’t want any other family to endure what they have endured. They are starting a non-profit organization in Gage’s memory- The Gage Foundation. They will fight to change the laws in other states as well so no one else can get away with killing their pet dog in cold-bloodand only be charged with a misdemeanor.
I told Shana that she should be proud. Shana never imagined on March 12, 2008 that her life would take an entirely different direction. I feel she has made Gage very proud. I told Shana that Gage has not died in vain. They are using what happened and making a difference in the lives of other animals. To read more about Gage, click here.
Here is Stanfill’s sentence:
6 months jailtime suspended
Ordered 180 consecutive days (8 hour days) of community service at the Bossier County Animal Control Center
2 years active probation
He cannot commit any criminal acts in the future
Ordered to pay $1,000.00 & court costs to court
Ordered to pay Gage’s family $1,000 (maximum allowed)
Ordered to pay his probation officer $55.00 a month for the entire two years he is on probation.
Even though they wanted Stanfill to spend time in jail, the Burkes are satisfied with the sentence. They feel the punishment of having to do community service at an animal shelter is fitting since Stanfill hates animals and now he will be forced to clean out their cages and mop the floors and look at the animals for six months.
(I’ve heard some people say they feel this is a bad mistake to place someone around animals because of his hatred and a possible retaliation on his part.)
Shana also said that the Judge told Ray what a horrible person he was in a packed courtroom and how he has affected the Burke’s forever.The Burke family finally felt vindicated! Stanfill has been ostracized in his community. He has since moved.
Do you really think the sentence is fair? A suspended sentence – and working around dogs- animals that he hates.
Question- What would you do if your neighbor killed your dog in cold-blood for no good reason? I’ve talked this over with my husband and we had a heated debate to say the least. I’m curious to know what others think.