A pit bull accused of viciously attacking singer Vanessa Carlton has just escaped a death sentence -- after the dog owner proved Carlton's bite wound didn't match up with a mold of the dog's teeth. 
The exonerated puppy is Bella -- who was just 9 months old when she was accused of biting the hell out of Vanessa -- who was jogging in Pennsylvania on May 2.
But in a trial that was like an episode of "CSI" -- Bella's owner argued that there's no way the doggy would have carried out the attack ... and then brought in several forensic experts -- including specialists in dog behavior and canine dentistry -- to back her story.
Ultimately, the experts paid off -- and the judge ruled that Bella could move back in with her owner ... instead of being put down.
Carlton -- who attended the six hour trial in person -- had no comment after the case.
Vanessa Carlton's Bite Case -- Pit Bull Gets Off
7/8/2010 8:50 AM PDT BY TMZ STAFF
Get TMZ Breaking News alerts to your inbox
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Most Recent | Next 15 Comments
john
What about the Guy who punched the high school girl in the face http://gochitchat.com/2010/07/just-wrong-dude-punches-high-school-girl-in-her-face/ Thats just as Vicious as this story
Sin D
I don't like her...she is a dog hater and should jog inside if she want to avoid dogs wanting her for lunch.
gnext2
Yes how dare she enjoy the outdoors and not expect a-hole owners like Sin D to let their dogs run around free and terrorize people.
pam
vanessa carlton is a piece of ****! even if the puppy did bite her why would she ever want to see it killed. i lov dogs but if a dog bit me cuz i was running past it i would never want to see it put down even if it bit a baby. the only dogs that should ever be put down are dogs that attack. don't know who this carlton loser is but i would make sure in the future to turn the channel if she comes on tv. why are people like her allowed to breathe our air??????
Violette-Blue
Can someone put Vanessa down? She's a horrible singer and a dog hater. That cute little puppy couldn't hurt anyone. Maybe she bit herself (Vanessa that is). I truly wish we could kill people as easily as we do innocent animals.
amanda
my neighbor has a pit bull, the only thing vicious about her is her bark, but when she comes up to you she'd rather lick you to death, i HATE people that think just because it's a pit bull it's going to attack, it's all in how you raise a damn dog. i have a pug i could train him to bite the **** out of people.
Finnlady
It's NOT a dog's fault, if you are running past it and it tries to get you => bites you. It's a natural reaction for a dog! Stupid people run past free dogs or stupid dog owners keep dogs free where people are running past.. And that idiot wants to kill that dog. Oh bloody hell..
Trish
I hope they find the "real" culprit.
Kat
I live where this happened and I have to say Vanessa Carlton is not a fan favorite around here anymore...
CubanB
I hope this Carlton person was forced to pay for all the dog owners expenses. Good for them sticking up for their dog though.
For her to actually sit for 6 hours in a trial over a puppy bite shows just what an evil bitch the Carlton person (whom Ive never even heard of) is.
Birdsht
Chaztity Bono Jr
TheMachine1
Glad the dog was saved. Protip: If you are running past a dog and he chases you stop running! Walk slowly out of his territory.
Jenn
LIVID...she sucks and so do her songs. She is 1 of the reasons pit bulls have a stigma attached to them. I rescue pit bulls, own 1 and have 4 other dogs and my little terrier rescue is meaner than the pits. It is absolutely how you raise the dogs. She is an ass and should be kept in a fenced area and not allowed out! Owners are responsible for their dogs but DO NOT LIE OR BLAME someone or something for actions that are not theirs! I can't stand her and her stupid story!
Court observer
Morons. I was present for the case. Please get the facts straight before you "report" them for the nation to read. The owner did not prove the bite did not happen. It was the exact opposite in fact.
The judge found that the dog DID bite Vanessa just as she described. Her testimony was supported by a neutral third party that was there. What's more the judge found that the same dog bit again 9 days later.
In open court the judge discounted the testimony of the so-called "expert" in canine denistry. She had never performed such a test before and admittedly had no forensic training in such a comparison. The person who held herself out to be a professional trainer admitted she had no formal training in the subject. She testfied that the dog would never go from a playful mood to biting. Unfortunately for her she was proven wrong by the uncontested testimony of a second bite by the dog, of which the trainer was unaware when she testified.
The judge found the owner guilty of 2 charges and did not decide the dangerous dog charge, instead allowing the defendant to build a fence to forgo penalty. The judge did not follow the law. Hope TMZ's reporting is better when the 3rd bite happens.
Yeah, I said it.
Who?