3-Year-Old Girl Heard Crying as Dogs Mauled Her, Court Hears

A motion-activated security camera inside Warren Houston’s apartment recorded the moment his two dogs attacked and killed his 3-year-old daughter.

The footage was played on April 16, the fourth day of Houston’s bench trial in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court.

In the video, his daughter, Kingsley Wright, can be heard crying and screaming for at least 20 minutes. At one point, she is heard saying, “Stop!”

After roughly 25 minutes, no further sounds were heard.

The recording was captured in the early morning hours of Dec. 27, 2024. Kingsley had been sleeping on a couch in the Roselawn apartment, about 10 to 15 feet from where Houston kept the two dogs in a cage. Prosecutors said the cage had two latches, but the lower latch did not function properly.

Testimony described the dogs—pit bull terriers weighing about 37 and 52 pounds—as escaping the cage, approaching the sleeping child, pinning her down, biting her, dragging her across the room, and pulling out her hair.

Houston and his then-girlfriend were in a bedroom with the door closed during the attack. Prosecutors noted that the girlfriend’s dog was kept in a separate room.

Judge Virginia Tallent barred media from recording or broadcasting the video, calling it “uniquely graphic” and expressing concern about its potential dissemination.

Houston was present in the courtroom when the footage began but could not see the screen. As his daughter’s cries were heard, he put his head down and began sobbing. The judge allowed him to leave while the remainder of the video was played.

The footage was shown only on a screen facing the judge.

Houston told investigators he had found one of the dogs months earlier in a park and cared for it after it appeared to have been used as a “bait dog” in fighting, noting it had multiple scars. He said he had never experienced problems with either animal.

He also told detectives that he had been asleep during the attack.

“For her to get snatched away,” he said. “How can you see something like that coming?”

Earlier in 2024, Houston learned through a paternity test that Kingsley was his daughter. She had been staying at his apartment for the first time and had celebrated Christmas with him.

The trial is set to continue on April 17. Houston, 46, faces charges including involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment.