'Jealous' boyfriend is found guilty of scalping his girlfriend and siccing his pit bull named Capone on her, then mocking the victim for being 'bald' 

  • Zachary Gross, 31, was convicted of first-degree assault in domestic attack on Marilyn Stanley in September 2015 in Kentucky 
  • Prosecutors said Gross flew into a jealous rage when he saw a photo of Stanley that was posted online by another man 
  • Stanley, a single mother-of-one, had 80 per cent of her scalp detached from her head and a portion of her ear ripped off by Gross' dog
  • After, Gross allegedly said: 'You’re bald now. Who's gonna want you now?'
  • Defense attorney argued it was Capone the pit bull that scalped Stanley  

By Snejana Farberov For Dailymail.com

Published: 17:14 EST, 2 February 2017 | Updated: 10:42 EST, 3 February 2017

A Kentucky man has been found guilty of cutting off his girlfriend’s scalp with a knife and siccing his pit bull on her in a horrific attack the prosecutors argued was motivated by obsessive jealousy.

According to law enforcement officials, on September 14, 2015, Zachary Gross, 31, spent an hour beating and torturing Marilyn Stanley, and the abuse culminated with the man using a knife to remove most of the victim's scalp and ordering his dog, a white-and-brown pit bull named Capone, to attack her.

The animal chewed off a portion of Stanley's ear, according to a police report cited by Fox 19 after Gross' arrest.

Guilty: Zachary Gross, 31 (left), has been convicted of first-degree assault for scalping his then-girlfriend, Marilyn Stanley (right), in 2015 

Horrific injuries: The mother-of-one had 80 per cent of her scalp ripped off of her head and one of her ear was chewed off by the suspect's pit bull (pictured in hospital) 

Afterwards, sheriff’s officials say Gross put Stanley's ripped-off scalp in a plastic bag and dropped her off at her mother's house in Union.

The woman, who has a young son, was flown to University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where doctors discovered that 80 per cent of her scalp had been removed from her head.

Video courtesy of WCPO 

She also suffered a broken nose and her eyes were swollen to the size of baseballs, according to the report.

When Stanley was able to talk to police, she told them that before the dog attack, Gross punched her in the face six times and kicked her in the stomach.

Four-legged culprit: Gross' attorney tried to pin the blame for the woman's scalp injuries on Capone the pit bull (pictured)

Jealousy: Prosecutors said Gross became enraged after seeing a photo that another man posted on Facebook showing his girlfriend in a park with her son (pictured together, left). After the attack, Gross allegedly mocked Stanley's appearance 

During closing arguments on Thursday, Boone County Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Leanne Beck told the jury Gross flew into a jealous rage after seeing a photo that another man had posted on Facebook showing his girlfriend in a park with her son, reported the Cincinnati Enquirer. 

After pinning down Stanley to the floor and slicing off most of her scalp, Beck said the defendant told his bleeding girlfriend: 'You’re bald now. Who's gonna want you now?'

Gross' attorney argued self-defense, pointing to the fact that it was Stanley who, by her own admission, pulled out the knife during the domestic altercation.

The defense lawyer also tried to pin the blame for the woman's scalp injuries on Capone the pit bull, who also tore off her ear.

Bleak future: Gross could be looking at up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced 

In her testimony, Stanley said she did not remember Gross cutting her scalp, but a trauma surgeon testified during the trial that the slashes across the woman’s head were most consistent with knife cuts.

It took the jury less than two hours to return the guilty verdict. When Gross is sentenced, he could face up to 20 years in prison.

 

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