Texas man sentenced to five years in prison for the brutal beating of Australian shepherd puppy
POSTMEDIA NETWORK
First posted: Monday, April 17, 2017 02:04 PM EDT | Updated: Monday, April 17, 2017 02:15 PM EDT
A Texas man who stomped his puppy to death claimed he didn’t recall mauling the helpless dog due to the haze of a drunken stupor.
But that didn’t keep a judge from sentencing Thyren Justus, 36, to five years in prison last week for the merciless beating of his months-old Australian shepherd.
Judge Tracy Holmes referred to the crime as “one of the worst cases of animal cruelty” she’d ever seen.
Cops were called to Justus’ apartment last March when a neighbour reported hearing a dog crying and the sounds of loud stomping, according to the Dallas Morning News.
Officers who arrived on scene were met by Justus, who was crying, before finding the brown and white Australian shepherd crumpled next to a toilet.
A veterinarian testified the dog, named Luke, suffered multiple fractures, including a broken leg, busted teeth and a collapsed lung, according to the Dallas Morning News.
In pleading for mercy, Justus’ defence attorney argued for leniency because his client was a recovering alcoholic.
But Holmes sided with the prosecution after it argued booze doesn’t provoke alcoholics to beat their helpless pets.
"What would cause you to become so violent to an animal like that?" Holmes asked, according to the report.
The prosecution claimed the ironically-named man flew into a drunken rage after arriving home from St. Patrick’s Day festivities to find his untrained pup had soiled his floor.
Texas man sentenced to five years in prison for the brutal beating of Australian
POSTMEDIA NETWORK
First posted: Monday, April 17, 2017 02:04 PM EDT | Updated: Monday, April 17, 2017 02:15 PM EDT
A Texas man who stomped his puppy to death claimed he didn’t recall mauling the helpless dog due to the haze of a drunken stupor.
But that didn’t keep a judge from sentencing Thyren Justus, 36, to five years in prison last week for the merciless beating of his months-old Australian shepherd.
Judge Tracy Holmes referred to the crime as “one of the worst cases of animal cruelty” she’d ever seen.
Cops were called to Justus’ apartment last March when a neighbour reported hearing a dog crying and the sounds of loud stomping, according to the Dallas Morning News.
Officers who arrived on scene were met by Justus, who was crying, before finding the brown and white Australian shepherd crumpled next to a toilet.
A veterinarian testified the dog, named Luke, suffered multiple fractures, including a broken leg, busted teeth and a collapsed lung, according to the Dallas Morning News.
In pleading for mercy, Justus’ defence attorney argued for leniency because his client was a recovering alcoholic.
But Holmes sided with the prosecution after it argued booze doesn’t provoke alcoholics to beat their helpless pets.
"What would cause you to become so violent to an animal like that?" Holmes asked, according to the report.
The prosecution claimed the ironically-named man flew into a drunken rage after arriving home from St. Patrick’s Day festivities to find his untrained pup had soiled his floor.
Texas man sentenced to five years in prison for the brutal beating of Australian
