HOUSTON, TX – A woman was tragically killed in northeast Houston as she tried to escape a vicious attack by her neighbor’s dogs, police reported. Authorities are now on the hunt for 38-year-old Marshall Garrett, who owned the dogs involved in the fatal incident.
Court documents reveal that Garrett had been cautioned about his dogs’ escape attempts just hours before the deadly attack last month. The dogs, identified as Staffordshire mixes, had a history of digging under the fence of Garrett’s property on Wayside Village Way.
The victim, 65-year-old Harriet Phillips, was captured on surveillance footage from her backyard on March 23rd, desperately trying to fend off the dogs with a hammer. Her cries for help were recorded before she fell and was subsequently mauled. Police later confirmed that Garrett was informed that his dogs were loose that morning. A neighbor had sent him photos of the dogs digging and warned him that they were entering her backyard. Garrett replied, suggesting the situation would soon be resolved, but a few hours later, Phillips was dead.
In a separate legal matter, Garrett was charged with murder just one day before being implicated in the dog attack. This charge stems from an incident last October, where he and an accomplice allegedly beat 69-year-old Alton Martin to death outside a store in northeast Houston. The altercation reportedly occurred over a dispute involving $140.
Garrett, who has a lengthy criminal history, was out on bond for an unrelated offense involving a police chase in January. Now, he faces multiple charges, including three counts related to the dog attack and one for murder.
Following the attack, Garrett’s dogs were seized and euthanized. The community has been left shocked and in mourning over the violent death of Phillips, while Houston police continue their search for Garrett.