The State - News from June 16, 1987

The owner of a pit bulldog that fatally mauled a 2 1/2-year-old boy in Morgan Hill said it was a “horrible, unforeseeable accident” that would not have happened “if the parents had kept tabs on this kid.” Michael P. Berry, 39, spoke at a news conference in the Santa Clara County Jail. The district attorney’s office has not yet decided whether to file murder charges against Berry. James Soto was “savagely torn apart” after he wandered within reach of a 50-pound pit bulldog, which was leashed on Berry’s property at the time. Police said the dog was guarding marijuana plants and was trained for dogfighting. Berry denied both allegations.