MIAMI – A Miami-Dade County judge upped the charges for a couple arrested after the father's 4-year-old son was mauled to death by dogs in Goulds.
Javon Dade and Alessandra Carrasco are now charged with manslaughter. They were both previously charged with child neglect causing great bodily harm.
Dade appeared in court Thursday morning, crying as he pleaded not guilty. Carrasco also pleaded not guilty.
Police said Dade and Carrasco were sleeping off a hangover Aug. 13 when Javon Dade Jr. got outside through an unlocked back door.
He was reported missing by the couple, who eventually discovered him dead in their backyard.
Police said the couple had spent the previous night smoking marijuana cigarettes laced with cocaine.
Six dogs -- three adults and three puppies -- were removed from the property. An adult male pit bull was later euthanized because of the dog's temperament.
Dade was fined $1,040 by Miami-Dade County Animal Services for violating the county's dog ordinance.
The couple's trial is scheduled for Nov. 17.
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