Father Not Guilty of Second-Degree Manslaughter in Death of Son; Judge in Case Owns Troublesome Dogs
Hennepin County District Court Judge Kevin Burke has found Zachary King, Jr. not guilty of second-degree manslaughter. King's son died as a result of an attack by a family pit bull. The dog had a record of seven prior bites. "In the final analysis, the decision comes down to an application of one of the most important concepts in our law: reasonable doubt," Burke said.
Ironically, about a week after Judge Burke issued his opinion the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that Burke, himself, has had issues with his own dogs. In fact, it was reported that he has been contacted 15 times since 2006 by Minneapolis Animal Control about his two Austrailian Shepherds. The paper stated that Burke was issued two warning letters as a result of a bite to another dog and a mail carrier being forced to use a chemical irritant to stand down the dogs. Read the story about Hennepin County District Court Judge Kevin Burke's Dogs.
