Tina Kelepouris emerged from the house, bloodied and in shock, just as Crystal Jean MacDonald arrived home. As a friend helped Kelepouris into the car, MacDonald asked what happened.
“She just looked at me and shrugged and said, ‘That’s why I don’t play with the dogs anymore,’” Kelepouris recalled Wednesday from the witness stand of an Edmonton courtroom
Kelepouris testified on the third day of MacDonald’s criminal negligence trial for the death of 11-year-old Kache Grist, who months later was mauled by Khaos and Khairo, the same Cane Corsos that attacked Kelepouris.
Court of King’s Bench Justice Eric Macklin also heard testimony Wednesday from a City of Edmonton peace officer who investigated the attack on Kelepouris but decided not to seize the dogs.
‘Screaming bloody murder’
On Feb. 3, 2024, Kelepouris was celebrating her first weekend off in a year. She and two friends went to MacDonald’s house and used the code she had given them to wait inside until she returned from errands.
Kelepouris, who often looked after Khaos and Khairo while MacDonald was out of town, brought treats and let the dogs outside to use the bathroom. She played with the dogs in the backyard, stomping around, straddling them, smacking their butts and giving them hugs and kisses.
In her telling, the dogs were as well-behaved as she’d ever seen them. But after a few minutes, Khairo looked her in the eye, wagged his tail, and jumped up, knocking her to the icy ground.
“I started screaming,” Kelepouris said. “I was screaming bloody murder.”
Kelepouris said the dogs — the larger of which weighed 124 pounds, just six pounds lighter than she was at the time — “shredded” her shoulders, arms and legs. Her friends tried to restrain the animals, but the dogs continued to bite and pull at Kelepouris for more than a minute. She eventually managed to scramble up the icy deck and inside, where she hid in the bathroom.
While headed to their vehicle, the three encountered MacDonald outside. Kelepouris said MacDonald asked if she was OK and hugged her.
Initially, Kelepouris planned to pick up first aid supplies from a drug store. She soon realized she needed to go to the emergency room as her friend checked her body for injuries. Most concerning was a “clicking” noise from her torso, which scans later revealed to be a punctured lung and broken ribs.
Kelepouris ultimately spent four days in hospital. She was in the respiratory trauma unit and received stitches for puncture wounds all over her body.
She soon learned that MacDonald herself had been attacked by the dogs not long before they mauled her. While the two initially exchanged messages while Kelepouris recovered in hospital, MacDonald stopped responding when Kelepouris raised the earlier attack and said she would be contacting animal control.
“If I’d known (about the previous attack) I never would have set foot there,” Kelepouris testified. “How could you neglect to tell me this? I thought she was a good friend, that she was a good person.”
Security camera stills show two Cane Corsos belonging to Crystal MacDonald attacking Tina Kelepouris on Feb. 3, 2024. MacDonald is facing trial for criminal negligence after the dogs attacked and killed 11-year-old Kache Grist two months later.
Kelepouris, a registered massage therapist, spent six weeks recovering from her injuries before returning to work part-time. She is currently suing MacDonald, but said civil proceedings are on hold pending the criminal trial.
A volunteer with a pit bull rescue, Kelepouris said the Cane Corsos were much larger than dogs she was used to dealing with.
“After I got attacked, I was positive they were going to kill someone,” she said.
Grist, the 11-year-old, was attacked and killed by the dogs on April 1, 2024. The animals were seized that day and later euthanized. Court heard Tuesday that the Cane Corsos previously killed another smaller dog.
No enforcement action
Court also heard from Christopher Linney, an Edmonton animal control officer. Linney visited MacDonald’s southwest Edmonton home and spoke with her a few weeks after the dogs attacked Kelepouris.
Linney ultimately decided there were no grounds to proceed with enforcement action such as seizing the dogs because they were in Kelepouris’s “care and control” when the attack happened. He noted the attack happened while Kelepouris was engaging with the dogs, and that MacDonald had multiple “beware of dog” signs posted on the property.
Defence lawyer Evan McIntyre made similar suggestions while cross-examining Kelepouris, noting she was being “high energy” around two “exceptionally large” animals she hadn’t seen since they were puppies.
The Crown is expected to continue presenting evidence Thursday.
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