Bradenton man said he beat pit bull to death after it attacked him. A jury disagreed

A Bradenton man has been sentenced to probation and jail time after being convicted of animal cruelty charges in connection to the death of a 10-month-old pit bull mix.

Jeffrey C. Hall Jr., 30, was found guilty by a jury in August of aggravated animal cruelty.

Hall never denied beating the dog, Toby, but said it was in self-defense because the dog attacked him. But in the case brought against him, law enforcement and prosecutors said the attack was disproportional to the bite on Hall’s finger.

Hall was sentenced last week to two years probation by Circuit Judge Charles Sniffen. Conditions of his probation include eight months in jail and that Hall complete an 8-week anger management class.

Bradenton Police Detective Lixa Moyett, who investigated the case, said she was pleased with the collaboration that led to the case’s outcome.

“The way Toby died was painful, violent and thanks to the support and dedication of vets and the state attorney’s office, we can work together to have successful investigations and prosecutions so no animal ever goes through that experience,” Moyett said.

A necropsy performed on Toby concluded that Toby had been beaten and as a result, a lung had collapsed and his liver had ruptured. Toby also had a show print on his abdomen and multiple bruises.

The defense said it was disappointed with the outcome of the trial and the eight months of jail time Hall received as part of his sentence, according to attorney Jennifer Fury. But if the jury felt that Hall overreacted to the situation, she said, she respected that as she did their verdict.

“It was a 52-pound pit bull mix and it attacked him,” Fury said. “It wasn’t a mauling but the dog attacked him.”

Toby had attacked before, biting people including family members, according to Fury. Those isolated attacks had never been reported, however, because Hall didn’t want the dog euthanized. Fury disputed prosecution and law enforcement claims that the puppy, which she said was nearly full grown, was his girlfriend’s but rather that it was Hall who rescued the dog from a neighbor.

“The dog wasn’t aggressive, he was unpredictable,” Fury said.