People v. Cornelio CA4/1

I.

BACKGROUND

Cornelio lived with her mother, Alba Cornelio, and other relatives. Cornelio

owned two pit bull dogs, Estrella, who was brown and white, and Estrella's offspring,

Paloma, who was white. Cornelio kept the pit bulls in her back yard. Alba Cornelio had

given her the pit bulls. Alba Cornelio was the dogs' registered owner, because Cornelio

had been a minor when Alba gave her the pit bulls. Cornelio turned 18 in November

2009.

1 Further statutory references are to the Penal Code unless otherwise specified.

2 Count two concerned a pit bull dog named Estrella and count three concerned a pit bull dog named Paloma. 2 Alba Cornelio was tried with Cornelio and convicted of the same offenses. Alba

Cornelio is not a party to this appeal.

A.

December 2010

Arturo Lopez lived two houses east of Cornelio. On December 25, 2010, Lopez

left his house with his three-month-old poodle, Fluffy. Fluffy was on a leash. After

Lopez and Fluffy had walked about 30 or 35 feet from their house, two pit pulls ran

toward them from the other side of the street. One of the pit bulls was white and the

other was brown and white. The pit bulls were not leashed and…