HOUSTON, TX – Marshall Garrett, 38, is facing multiple felony charges after his three pit bulls fatally mauled a neighbor, and in a separate case, he was charged with murder following a deadly assault in 2023.
According to a criminal complaint, on March 23, Garrett’s pit bulls escaped their enclosure and attacked Harriette Phillips, 65, in her own backyard. The woman tried to fend off the dogs with a hammer but succumbed to the attack. Investigators later found pieces of Phillips’ clothing and hair in the dogs’ stomachs.
Witnesses told the Houston Police Department that Garrett’s dogs were known to be aggressive and often escaped. One neighbor even reported a recent bite incident. Detectives believe Phillips was checking her yard when the dogs entered through a broken fence. She screamed and fought back but was overwhelmed.
Garrett was charged on April 9 with three counts of attack by dog resulting in death, just one day after being charged with murder in a separate case from October 2023.
In that earlier incident, Garrett allegedly assaulted a 69-year-old man who had been accused of stealing money from a female friend. Surveillance footage reportedly shows Garrett striking the man in the back of the head despite witnesses saying the money had already been returned. The victim later died at the hospital from blunt force trauma, and the Harris County medical examiner ruled it a homicide.
Both Garrett and the woman involved have been charged with murder. While Garrett is now in custody, the woman remains at large, authorities said.
The three pit bulls were euthanized under Texas law, which permits the destruction of animals that seriously injure or kill a person.
Garrett has yet to appear in court or enter a plea for either case. He currently has no listed attorney.
His criminal history includes burglary, criminal trespass, evading arrest, possession of marijuana, and unlawful use of a criminal instrument.
