SAN ANTONIO – The widow of a San Antonio man who was killed in a dog attack in a West Side neighborhood in February 2023 testified Tuesday in the punishment phase of the case involving the dogs’ owners.

Janie Najera, the wife of Ramon Najera, tearfully recounted the harrowing incident, the painful recovery from the dog bites she suffered and the guilt of surviving the ordeal.

She testified on the second day of a hearing that will determine punishment for Christian Moreno and Abilene Schnieder, who pleaded guilty to a charge of dangerous dog attack resulting in death in August.

On the witness stand, Janie Najera recalled how she met her husband at a dance in 1974, which would lead them to 45 years of marriage three years later. She said that Ramon Najera served in the military for 21 years and worked in civil service.

After that, Ramon Najera worked part-time as a security officer for several companies, including one in February 2023.

He had just picked up his uniforms and needed his pants to be altered. For years, the Najeras had used a seamstress, who lived on Depla Street.

The couple drove to the seamstress’ house to drop off Ramon Najera’s uniform pants. The Najeras had not been able to tell the seamstress, Angie Ramirez, that they were stopping by. When they got to the house, Janie Najera went to the front door. Ramirez’s grandson answered and told her that she could drop the clothes off.

Moments later, Janie Najera noticed the dogs at Moreno and Schnieder’s house were barking loudly at her, but said she didn’t think much of it.

As Janie Najera was walking back to the car to get the uniform, she saw one of the dogs quickly climbing the fence.

“I didn’t even think they (the dogs) would jump over,” she said.

Struck with fear, Janie Najera ran to her car, where her husband was still inside. She said right as she grabbed the door handle to her red 2022 Toyota Camry, one of the dogs attacked her and she started screaming for her husband.

“Ramon, Ramon, the dogs, my husband heard me and he panicked,” she said.

Janie Najera recalled Ramon Najera rushing out of the car and hitting one of the dogs in hopes that it would stop attacking his wife.

“He told the dog, ‘leave her alone, leave her alone,’” Janie Najera said.

As Janie Najera lay on the ground processing the situation, she noticed her husband was now on the ground, too.

“He tried to help me and the dog just knocked him down,” she said.

As Ramon Najera was on the ground, she said the dog grabbed her husband’s wrist and began dragging him back to Moreno and Schnieder’s yard.

At this time, Janie Najera said she screamed for anyone to help. Ramirez’s grandson came outside with a rake, hit the dog that was attacking Ramon Najera and it quickly started attacking him. The grandson pushed the dog off and ran back inside, but the dog turned back to Ramon Najera.

“He kept saying, ‘Janie, I can’t take the dog off of me,’” Janie Najera tearfully said.

As this was happening, she noticed another dog came from Moreno and Schnieder’s home straight for her.

“I was thinking, ‘this dog is going to finish me up, she’s probably going to attack me on my face or neck, Jesus cover me,” she testified.

The dog turned from her and started attacking Ramon, she said.

When fire crews arrived at the scene, Janie Najera said she remembered someone putting their hands on her shoulders and trying to help her onto a stretcher.

“You need to help my husband, my husband needs help,” she recalled telling them.

Firefighters got her into an ambulance as they tried to get the two dogs off him.

“That was the last time [I saw my husband alive], when he was screaming for help,” Janie Najera said.

After arriving at the hospital, Janie Najera described the excruciating pain she went through as she had her wounds flushed out and had to get a rabies shot for each bite wound.

“It was so painful,” she said.

It’s been 18 months since she last saw her husband alive, and she said the attack and his death has affected her tremendously.

“I cry in the mornings and I grab my pillow and I say ‘how can this happen to us?” she said.

Janie Najera said she now suffers from survivor’s guilt. She constantly wonders what she could’ve done to help her husband or what else he could’ve done to get away from the dogs.

“He always thought he had at least 20 more years,” she said.

Throughout her testimony, Moreno and Schnieder could be seen looking emotional, with Schneider wiping away tears.

After the state finished their questions with Janie Najera, the defense brought up the lawsuit the Najera family filed against the City of San Antonio on Friday.

The lawsuit states the City Of San Antonio’s Animal Care Services still released the dogs back to the owners, resulting in severe injuries to Janie Najera and the death of Ramon Najera.

Days after the attack, it was revealed that ACS had previously impounded the dogs for another attack and had received multiple complaints about them over the past two years.

It was also disclosed that San Antonio police had been called to the Moreno and Schnieder’s home more than 100 times in two years for various disturbances.

“They [the dogs] should have never been returned, never,” Janie Najera said on the witness stand.

“What’s sad about this is the city has a habit of failing neighborhoods that already have some issues. Something like this would never, ever have happened on the North Side. You’d never have three vicious attacks like this. It wouldn’t stand. But when it gets to disadvantaged neighborhoods, the city just talks about it, but does nothing,” said Stanley Bernstein, one of the Najera’s attorneys.

When asked why Janie Najera and her family filed the lawsuit, Janie Najera said she hoped this could prevent something like this from happening again.

“I don’t want nobody to go through what I’ve gone through,” she said.

Prior to Janie Najera’s testimony, the state called two SAPD officers and an ACS officer to the stand.

Body camera footage and pictures from the scene were shown in court. One officer recounted the moments he got on the scene.

“The first thing I remember is seeing blood everywhere, there was so much blood you could taste it in your mouth,” said SAPD Officer Jesse Mendez.

Schnieder was seen crying during this part of the testimony as both Ramon and Janie’s injuries were shown.

The state is seeking the maximum punishment of 20 years in prison for the defendants while the defense tries to convince the judge to sentence them to probation. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 20.