Stillwater man accused of breaking into his ex-girlfriend's home, killing her pet snake and scrawling a note in its blood has been sentenced on one count of burglary.
Jonathan Paul Utecht, 22, was charged in July with felony counts of burglary, terroristic threats and animal torture. In October he pleaded guilty to burglary, and as part of a plea deal the other charges were dismissed at his Dec. 22 sentencing.
Utecht was sentenced to 120 days in jail, with credit for 80 days served, plus five years' probation. He was also ordered to have no contact with the ex-girlfriend, to undergo a psychological evaluation and to pay restitution.
According to a criminal complaint, police were contacted by the ex-girlfriend, who said she feared Utecht had broken into her Stillwater apartment and ransacked it. When officers arrived, Utecht was standing outside with blood on his hands and warned the woman, who was with police, that she might not want to go inside and see what he'd done.
Inside the apartment, officers found things in disarray. Items were broken and coffee grounds were scattered in the kitchen. Someone had written "I will kill you" and "(expletive) cheater" in black marker, the complaint said.
Police also found the woman's snake on the kitchen floor, a knife "sticking in the midsection," the complaint said. The words "I loved you," which were on the floor next to the snake, appeared to have been written in the animal's blood.
Elizabeth Mohr can be
reached at 651-228-5162. Follow her at twitter.com/lizmohr.
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