In an extraordinary turn of events, Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie L. Mosser will ask a grand jury to review facts and law surrounding the shooting death of a Wayne resident’s pet dog late last summer.
Mosser made the announcement via a press release earlier this afternoon.
On Aug. 10, 2021, Hal Phipps of Wayne shot and killed a Dogo Argentino named Ludwig, which belonged to his neighbor, Joe Petit. The incident parked an immediate uproar in communities around the Fox Valley, and particularly on social media, giving rise to numerous and frequent protests and the now-legendary “Justice For Ludwig” rallying cry.
Several weeks later after an investigation by the office of Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain and a review of the facts and the law, Mosser held an unusual press conference and announced that criminal charges were not appropriate, citing evidence that Phipps had acted out of necessity. In her assessment of the case, she pronounced that, according to the law, Mr. Phipps reasonably believed his life or safety was at risk when he fired a single, fatal shot at Ludwig.
However, since that decision not to file criminal charges was made public in September 2021, questions about the fairness and transparency of the investigation and review have persisted from Mr. Petit and Ludwig’s supporters.
This has prompted Mosser to bring the matter before a grand jury.
Mosser expects to present the case to the grand jury by the end of May. The independent review will be done in conjunction with Mr. Petit’s attorney.
“I will bring the case before the grand jury for an independent review and in conjunction with Mr. Petit’s attorney,” Mosser stated in the press release. “Although I am in no way bound to revisit this case, I have agreed to do so based on a number of requests regarding the evidence and the law. It is my hope that once the grand jury process is complete, regardless of the outcome, that everyone will abide by the grand jury’s decision and conclude that the process has been fair, neutral and transparent.”
