A bench trial is set to open at 9 a.m. Monday in Hamilton County for Warren Houston, the Cincinnati father charged after his 3-year-old daughter was killed in a dog mauling during the week of Christmas 2024. Judges will decide whether Houston is guilty on counts that include manslaughter and child endangerment, as prosecutors say surveillance footage captured the attack.
Judge permits limited video evidence
As reported by WLWT, a judge has ruled that only short excerpts of the surveillance footage deemed "absolutely necessary" may be shown at the bench trial. Prosecutors argued the clips are essential to proving recklessness, while defense attorneys asked the court to block the recording entirely because it is extremely graphic.
Prosecutors lay out a timeline
In court, prosecutors said 3-year-old Kingsley Wright had been put to sleep on a living-room couch while the dogs were kept in a nearby room with no gate or barrier, according to WCPO. They told judges the animals attacked about 15 minutes after Houston went to bed and that the child was not discovered until the next morning. The Hamilton County Coroner's Office determined that her death resulted from a dog attack.
The evidence prosecutors relied on
Prosecutors also pointed to 911 calls and court filings that describe the child yelling and the dogs barking while the attack unfolded, and some accounts say the mauling lasted as long as 30 minutes, per FOX19. Houston pleaded not guilty when he was indicted and was held on a $200,000 bond, the station reported. Cincinnati Animal CARE removed the dogs from the home and placed them under quarantine.
Legal stakes
Because this is a bench trial, a panel of judges, not a jury, will weigh the evidence, WLWT notes. Prosecutors must prove Houston's conduct rose to the level of recklessness or criminal negligence, and they have argued the surveillance video will be central to that case. Convictions on the felony counts could carry significant prison terms under Ohio law.
Family response
Family members who raised Kingsley have spoken publicly about the loss. "That was my baby girl," said Peeper Wright, according to WCPO, as relatives continue to grieve while the case proceeds. The bench trial will test whether prosecutors can link Houston's knowledge of the dogs' danger and the condition of their kennels to criminal culpability.
