By Mike Perleberg Zachary Gross. Photo by Boone County Sheriff's Office. (Boone County, Ky.) - A man has been slapped with a 20-year prison sentence for scalping his girlfriend. Zachary Gross, 31, was sentenced in Boone County Circuit Court on Tuesday, according to WLWT-TV. Last month, Gross was convicted by a jury of first degree assault. In September of 2015 at his home in Walton, Gross attacked his then-girlfriend Marilyn Stanley. He claimed at his trial that it was his pit bull that scalped her, but doctors said the injuries were caused by a knife. “I always felt horrible for what happened,” Gross told the judge prior to his sentence being pronounced. “I don’t feel responsible. I maintain my innocence. It is what it is. I’m not asking for your mercy. I’m not asking for your mercy. Just give me the 20, and I don’t need the lecture and we can go on.” Judge Rick Brueggeman also ruled the dog a vicious animal and ordered it be euthanized. The animal has been in a shelter since the incident. Stanley was in the courtroom for Gross’ sentencing, but she did not address the court. She told WLWT that she required numerous surgeries following the attack. Gross was also given an additional year behind bars for a probation violation from an unrelated case. Another month was added for contempt of court. RELATED STORIES: Jury Convicts Man Who Scalped Girlfriend Ex-Boyfriend Allegedly Had Pit Bull Attack Woman