Owners of Dogs that Killed Livonia Jogger In the Country Illegally

The owners of two dogs that mauled and killed jogger from Livonia last week are in the country illegally and have been fighting deportation proceedings for several years, according to media reports.

Now, Albania national Valbona Lacaj, 44, and her Italian husband, Sebastiano Quagliata, 45, may face involuntary manslaughter charges, the Detroit Free Press reports. Their Cane Corso dogs attacked and killed Craig Sytsma, 46, as he jogged past the couple’s Metamora home on July 23.

It was the third attack by the large Italian dogs – mastiff-type dogs the American Kennel Club describes as “noble, majestic and powerful in presence “ – since 2012, Lapeer County Sheriff’s Det. Jason Parks told The Detroit News.

The dogs, which reportedly have an aggressive history, were unattended and freely roaming the neighborhood when they attacked Sytsma. A witness told police that he yelled at the dogs as they mauled Sytsma, and when they didn’t respond, he went to the house to get a gun and fired a warning shot, which deterred them only temporarily, said Parks, adding that consensus among experts is the dogs have a propensity to attack and can’t be rehabilitated.

The dogs are currently quarantined, and the Lapeer County Prosecutor’s Office is recommending euthanasia. That order is expected Friday.

Its unclear whether the citizenship status of the two dogs’ owners will affect criminal charges, the Free Press said. The Lapeer County Prosecutor’s Office is expected to announce a charging decision yet this week.

Quagliata arrived in the United State on a tourist visa in December 1996, and Lucaj gave an immigration officer a $3,000 bribe to grant her political asylum from Albania in 1997, the Free Press said, citing court records. As Lucaj’s spouse, Quagliata also received asylum.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officials challenged the couple’s immigration status and said Lucaj “lacked good moral character arising out of fraud in obtaining asylum.” In March, a federal judge agreed and refused to stop the couple’s deportation, which had first been recommended in 2005. Khaalid Walls, a spokesman for I.C.E., told the Free Press Wednesday that officials are reviewing the couple’s files to determine how to proceed.

The couple lived in several communities in Macomb County – Macomb Township, Warren and Sterling Heights – before moving to their four-bedroom house in Metamora in 2011. They bought the 7-acre property for $150,000.

Lacaj works for an insurance company, and Quagliata is a professional house painter, the Free Press said, again citing court documents.

Funeral Service Friday

Sytsma’s funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 1481 Baldwin St., in Jenison. A full obituary is available on the Cook Funeral Home web site.

A fundraiser for the family has been established on YouCaring.com and has raised about $7,340.

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PHOTO: Authorities say two large Italian Cane Corso dogs, bred to hunt wild boar, severed an artery in Craig Sytsma’s arm when they mauled him as he jogged on July 23. (Photo: Cook Funeral Home)