A Staten Island couple whose vicious pit bulls literally tore the flesh off a 90-year-old World War II veteran have been slapped with manslaughter charges in the horrifying death, prosecutors said yesterday.
A grand jury indicted James McNair, 28, and Kim DiPrima, 37, of failing to properly restrain the dogs, Popeye and Brutus, before the canines set upon neighbor Henry Piotrowski inside his yard last July 1.
“There’s evidence from numerous witnesses that the dogs had freely roamed the neighborhood,” said Staten Island DA spokesman William Smith.
The grand jury was not able to hear from the victim – even indirectly – because doctors placed him in a medically induced coma within hours of the attack. He died on Aug. 17 without regaining consciousness.
DiPrima was released on her own recognizance following her arraignment on the new indictment. McNair, a registered sex offender who the DA said failed to apprise state officials after moving to his current home on Newark Avenue, remains in custody on $255,000 bail.