The State : Justices Halt Murder Trial

Trial of a Morgan Hill man accused of murder after his pit bull dog attacked and killed a 2-year-old boy was halted by the California Supreme Court. The court in a brief order halted indefinitely Monday’s scheduled start of the trial of Michael Berry in Santa Clara County. The trial will be delayed up to three months until the high court decides whether to take up Berry’s appeal. Berry was charged with involuntary manslaughter and marijuana cultivation after his pit bull attacked James Soto when the child wandered into Berry’s yard June 13, 1987. Prosecutors filed the murder charge based on the argument that Berry could be held liable for reckless conduct in the same way a drunk driver can be held on murder charges.