Killed On Command By Dogs? Is It Murder?
[Tulsa, OK]
On October 22nd, 2020, Curtis Wickham Jr., also referred to as CJ, (26) arrived at his ex-girlfriend, Champaign’s, house to retrieve his cell phone that her new boyfriend, Benjamin Spence, had stolen from him. To revisit their history, CJ and Champaign dated for around three months before breaking up. After the split, Champaign met Benjamin fairly quickly and started dating him, yet still made time to hang out with CJ inside her home on occasion.
Earlier that day, CJ arrived at a friend’s house and asked an unidentified female if he could use her phone because his was being kept from him. “They made me leave. I don’t know what Ben’s problem is with me”, he allegedly told the girl. Ben chased CJ from Champaign’s house the day prior, ultimately making him leave his phone behind in a panic. The friend offered support to CJ and followed along to help him get his phone back because she was friends with Champaign. They walked the few blocks to Ben’s house.
Inside the house were three, two-year-old Pitbull dogs owned by Ben. When CJ knocked on the door, Ben answered in a rage and immediately physically attacked him.
During the fight, CJ apparently was overpowering Ben. As they stood up, Ben ordered his three young dogs to attack CJ. Simply following their owner’s commands, the dogs tore at CJ’s clothes and ripped them from his body. They pinned him to the ground and mauled all over his body, especially his neck and face. His ear was ripped from his face as he screamed for help.
“Nobody was getting them. Nobody was getting the dogs for nothing…They attacked him for like 10 minutes” the unidentified friend told investigators. Ben and Champaign watched close by.
“That’s like pulling a gun on somebody. They’re like landsharks” one investigator explained on one the First 48 episode. Nonetheless, they had a hard case to prove. Did the dogs truly attack due to Ben’s command or did they attack out of protective instinct?
Deeper into their investigation, they realized that animal control was called on the dogs the day prior for scratching a child and killing some chickens. Animal control noticed that their owner, Ben, had major control over the dogs and their behavior. They responded to every single one of his commands, including heel.
Three days after the attack, Champaign contacted investigators wanting to finally confess. She explained that she saw Ben point toward CJ to command the dogs to attack. She also said he never tried to remove the dogs off CJ until it was too late. After the dogs attacked, Ben even decided to pull CJ’s body into the house and threw a large TV at him.
With the combination of the friend’s explanation of the attack, animal control’s perception of Ben’s control over the dogs, and Champaign’s confession, police charged him with second degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon and he was sentenced to 4 years in prison. Champaign was not charged with any crimes. The dogs who attacked CJ are still alive as well.
About Curtis Wickham Jr.: CJ was a diamond in his family’s eyes. He was a movie guru that loved quoting the funniest lines to his family. CJ also really took comfort in listening to music and fishing, especially as he struggled through a tough drug addiction. “He was an drug addict. He wasn’t ashamed to tell you that, but he was ashamed to be that for me and him (his mother and father)”, his mother told the First 48. The day of his death, CJ had packed his things to attend a rehab and get clean. In fact, that is why he was attempting to retrieve his phone. Before leaving his home, he left a note for his family saying “Just hold on guys, I’m coming. I’ll get it together so all y’all can be proud and when this life is over, I want it to say high score.”
