A 5-year-old Jack Russell Terrier was savagely beaten to death by a depraved ex-convict for having defecated inside the family apartment. The killer, 28-year-old Nashbert Smith, of Staten Island, viciously swung the helpless dog by her leash, slamming her frail body against the wall.
The dog belonged to the man’s wife, Diamond, who arrived home from work to find the apartment spattered with blood and her precious dog, Lady, on the floor resembling a rag doll with the stuffing torn out.
The woman frantically dialed 911. Officers responded quickly but not soon enough to save Lady. The dog was pronounced dead at a local veterinarian hospital. A preliminary necropsy determined that the dog had died of internal bleeding, brain trauma, and bruised lungs.
The New York Post quotes the heartbroken woman as sobbing to authorities on the scene:
That was my best friend. That was my baby.
The distraught woman went on to reminisce that Lady had been a birthday present from her mother.
Smith, who was a registered sex offender and had prior arrests for assault, was taken into custody. He has since been charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, according to a spokesman for Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan. Yesterday he was ordered held on $10,000 bail.
Under New York law aggravated animal cruelty is a felony, which carries a sentence of up to two years in prison. It is woefully inadequate and indicative of the need for more stringent animal abuse laws in the Empire State.
No comments:
Post a Comment