Monday, April 22, 2013
Trial Postponed for 4 men accused of animal abuse
Interesting article from the Dallas Morning news. Do you think defendants should be held to the same human sentence outcomes for victimizing animals? Food for thought....
http://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/2013/04/trial-postponed-for-men-accused-of-abusing-the-dog-justice.html/
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I don’t feel that humans should be held to the same human sentence outcomes for victimizing animals. Don’t get me wrong I do love my puppy and I would be really hurt if something like this happen to him. I don’t think these boys should get away with what they did and that they should pay, but the punishment should fit the crime. While working as the Dallas County Jail I interacted with two of the four defendants and they show no remorse for their crime. They seems as if jail is just a big game and for that reason I think that putting them in prison is not going to teach them a lesson.
ReplyDeleteOn one hand humans and animals should be separated. However, killing animals is a HUGE red flag for mental issues. Specifically, it's a sign (one of many) of a serial killer. If he evaluated the individuals who hurt animals perhaps we can get a few of the psycho's off the street. Psycholpaths and sociopaths can't be cured and shouldn't be on the streets. They didn't just kill the dog they tortured the poor thing. Once again the mental health of the criminals is being overlooked. I promise these guys will be in jail more than once!
ReplyDeleteI honestly think humans should be held to a curtain standard for victimizing animals. Animals feel pain just like humans do, therefore if a human can’t get away with torturing or killing a human, it would not be fair for human to get away with victimizing an innocent animal. Some humans think it is okay to hurt animals either because they enjoy hurting a living creature or because they are just screwed up in their head. These boys should be trailed and giving a punishment that will hopefully teach them something about not victimizing animals, because animals feel pain just like humans do. I wish people would see how wrong it is to hurt an animal, I assume some people believe animal don’t feel pain and therefore it is alight to torture and or kill them.
ReplyDeleteFirst let me say, I HATE animal cruelty. I don't really understand why people actually do it. How can you be OK, killing one of God's creatures? I just feel it is so wrong, on multiple levels. However, I do not think that killing an animal is felony worthy. The murdering of animals and humans should NOT be one in the same. Yes, killing animals is wrong, but come on, I'd rather a dead animal than a human. I think the four young men should be punished for their cruelty and stupidity, but I don't think it should be trialed as a felony. I think that is a bit over dramatic. I hope they are punished fairly for the stupidity.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious to see how far this goes. I never knew there was a think as group charges. I do feel like acts against animals are wrong, but I think that humans should not be held to the same degree of sentencing for crimes against animals. These people will probably live out a life of crime, because they act itself screams for attention. Now after the trial, these people will be put back on the streets expected to provide for themselves. According to the strain theory they will be at a disadvantage because of the difficulty of securing a job and will be forced into a life of crime. The alternate could be counseling, fines, community service as opposed to just slapping a person with a sentence. This case is not just one but four individuals. I don't by a means agree with the act, but I think that this is another case where we should seek the greatest alternative.
ReplyDeleteThis sickens me. I do not believe that humans should be sentenced as they murdered another person but they should get a punishment that fits the crime. This is so evil to me, what could possibly be going on in these men's heads? Animal cruelty is a serious issue that has just gotten bigger. From raising pitbulls to fight, chicken fights, ect. People do not understand that animals, dogs especially, have feelings just as they are human. Some dogs even mistake themselves for being human. This act was just plain stupid and I hope they are remorseful. - Daniella Romero
ReplyDeleteIn response to B Jones, what type of punishment do you think these boys deserve? I understand that you interacted with two of these boys and they showed no remorse, but that means putting them in jail for a CRIME they committed isn’t going to teach them a lesson? Ask Michael Vick what he thinks about spending time in jail for felony cruelty to animal charges. I’m not talking about the gambling part of what he did, just what he did to the dogs.
ReplyDeleteDo you think that if a human tortures an innocent animal that they won’t do this to another human? Well, you need to think again! This is how some serial killers started out in life. Charging these boys with felony cruelty to animals is not a bit “over dramatic,” it is what should be done, that is why the law is on the books. They did not just kill this dog, they poured lighter fluid all over him and threw a lit cigarette at him and then laughed while the puppy was lit on fire! These are some very SICK boys!
The punishment does need to fit the crime but no one has said what the punishment needs to be. What about some mental health counseling? What about community service working in animal shelters? What about going to schools and talking about what they did? Maybe they also need to spend some time in jail. But I believe this goes back not only to the mental health issue it also goes back to the atmosphere of the home they were brought up in.
I think that those guys should be punish for what they did. Animal cruelty is wrong in all aspects of it. Ask Michael Vick fighting pit bulls put his career into ashes. Fighting animals for entertainment is bad but killing them just to look and have fun is just wrong, i think that these guys should be examine by a professional to see if they don't have any mental problems because that is how serial killer mind starts by first killing mostly animals.
ReplyDeleteAll four men were faced with only one count of felony animal cruelty. With all the damage and cruelty done to the animal, these four men should all be charged with a higher crime rate. Agreeing with 13f48ce6-70a8-11e2-a94a-000f20980440April I too believe "I do not believe that humans should be sentenced as they murdered another person but they should get a punishment that fits the crime". The sentence they got just does not fit the crime they committed.
ReplyDeleteI think all of these defendants need to be hung for their crime against a defenseless animal. I think harsher punishment needs to occur for those who abuse animals to send a message that such actions will not be tolerated. These animals are defenseless and do not deserve to be treated in such a violent manner. In reference to research methods, many serial killers or violent criminals have reportedly started their crimes by abusing animals. So it would be interesting to either perform a research on these men, and if they someone are let back into the community, to follow them and see if they partake in any other violent acts against people. Or another option would be to survey serial killers or other murders, to see if they started their criminal career by first abusing animals.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this story I think that examples are going to have to be made of these types of crimes. Offenders need to be dealt with swiftly and publicly so that the deterrence will go up. Just like Bailey has previously inquired, studies have confirmed that serial killers have histories of animal cruelty and abuse. Updated studies of current killers would help substantiate the previous studies.
ReplyDeleteBeing an animal lover and part of a sorority where the philanthropy is the Humane Society of North Texas, I am completely sick over what they have done to this poor puppy. I do believe that animal cruelty like this is a red flag for mental disorders and shows potential to be a future serial killer. Personally, I think they should get more than jail time and a lot of counseling to see what is going on in their heads that compelled them to do such a sick thing.
ReplyDeleteI volunteer at the Humane Society of North Texas once a week and I see abused animals when I am there. I do not understand why any person would want to harm innocent animals. The abused animals that survive and make it to the Humane Society are often slightly aggressive or horribly scared. These abused animals have to be retrained so they can be adopted. If these animals are not retrained by volunteers then these animals often go un-adopted. Also, the dog in this article was only 4 months old. I cannot believe a dog that is only a few months old could deserve any punishment such as being burned alive. I believe I would become physically sick from seeing someone flick a cigarette on animal that is covered in a flammable substance. Also, criminals often escalate their crimes, so I believe the crimes for these 4 men could only increase in degree. Serial killers are also known to start as young children abusing animals and escalate to killing human beings. These young adults are setting themselves up for a rough future. You never know, these men could turn their lives around, but I personally do not see this happening.
ReplyDeleteAnimal cruelty has to stop. They have a nervous system just like we do, and can feel everything that we can feel. I believe that the group of four men should be charged the same as a human life. They are putting that animal through the same pain they could out a human through if they were set on fire. If these men can set a dog on fire and not have a guilty conscience towards their act, what makes you think they would not set a human being on fire for fun. If they enjoy torturing innocent animals I'm sure they would enjoy torturing human beings. I hope these men get what they deserve. Animal cruelty should not be taken lightly. Torturing animals is also a sign of a mental disorder or phsycolocical problems. Serial killers start with torturing animals then move to killing human beings for fun. Maybe these men should get a psychiatric evaluation to see if they are in their right mind. It is not normal to go out and pour lighter fluid on a dog, flick a cigerette, and purposely set the dog on fire for fun. I feel bad for this dog and think that this group of men need to be punished accordingly for their actions.
ReplyDeleteAll four suspects arrested for burning a four-month-old lab terrier to death, should remain in jail until their court date. I strongly hope all four will be convicted and sentenced to some hard time in prison. People who burn dogs alive for the thrill of seeing the dog burn do not belong in society, anymore than a person who sets a person on fire just to watch that person burn. I feel that the State District court should have little trouble in finding the four suspects guilty for the crime of felony animal cruelty. I think the sentence should be to the full extent of the law for this senseless act of hate, and that each suspect should apologize for their actions to the DFW Rescue Me animal rescue group personally.
ReplyDeleteAs a co-inhabitant of three dogs, it is hard for me to understand how anyone could treat an animal so cruelly. I hope these four men will spend a long time in prison thinking about this cruel act that they committed in taking the life of an innocent animal. I am sorry that it happened in the state I reside in and call home.
Yes! These four men disgust me, how can you live with yourself knowing that you killed a living, breathing 4 month old puppy? Did they not have anything better to do, why don't they go light themselves on fire and see how it feels? No? I didn't think so, so why do it to someone else? These men need to be prosecuted to the highest degree for their crimes. who know who or what they will kill next, they might start of with animals then move up. There have been instances of others doing so, lets not give them the chance to. A survey research asking how the public feels about animal cruelty and what the consequence should be would be interesting.
ReplyDeleteIt’s sad that people like this actually exist in this world. To harm a poor and defenseless animal. I strongly hope that these men are incarcerated for committing such a crime; though we don’t know what the main purpose of these four men burning a dog. Hurting an innocent animal epically a puppy is just as wrong as harming a human.
ReplyDeleteI have already blogged on this story but I have more to say. I don’t understand why people think its ok to set an animal on fire. Or it’s not ok but they don’t need to be punished harshly. What these boys did was uncalled for and done for fun! There age may say they are men but they sure acted like children by committing such a nasty crime. It has been proven that people that start out killing animals do become serial killers. No, that doesn’t have every time but it does happen more than not. I feel that part of their punishment should be to pay the vet bills this poor innocent animal incurred because of his injuries; not just part of it but all of it! They should have to volunteer with the Humane Society for a lengthy period of time. They don’t need to get paid for this either it needs to be a volunteer basis. They should also be required to go to local schools and talk about their crime and why they did it and why others should not do it. This is horrible and I don’t understand why people have to act this way!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, this story makes me sick to my stomach! I do not understand why people would be cruel to any type of animal. Even though I do love animals, this is not the reason that I am so annoyed by this story. It was just flat out wrong and these boys had no right to do what they did to this innocent dog. So many people think that animals are beneath us as humans and they are to some degree, but they are living beings just like us, meaning that they have feelings, and they experience hurt and pain just as we do. I do think they should be tried on the same sentencing as humans because they intentionally hurt this animal causing him to lose his life and they need to be accountable for their actions. I also believe that if these boys are capable of doing this to an animal, then what measures would take involving humans? I am not sure if these boys have any remorse or not, but I think they should be punished severely and that the judicial system should make an example out them. Maybe this will cause an increase to help control and stop animal abuse.
ReplyDeleteNot really sure how to do a study on these idiots other than ask them what they hell they were thinking. Just look at their mugshots and you can see it's your typical idiots that think they're tough and most likely don't hold a job. My father has been a Tulsa Police Officer for 27 years and tells me stories of low lifes like this all the time. Yeah these men are so tough killing a puppy in a gruesome manner such as lighting it on fire. My personal hopes for the four men that committed this crime is that they get a nice long sentence and their cellmate in jail/prison is an actual tough guy who just so happens to love animals, especially dogs. And every single day of their sentence that cellmate honors that poor innocent dog by beating down those low lifes. Completely unnecessary and just shows how vile and screwed up some people are in this country.
ReplyDeleteThis is a terrible crime and to make it worse they did this to an animal that can't defend itself and who thinks that the people who did this to him are the ones that he should be able to trust. Its sad that people can do these types of crimes and not think twice about it. I agree these men should get harsh punishments for what they did and that way maybe they can be an example for other criminals who think about hurting animals like this. Maybe research should be done on these individuals and others who have committed these types of animal cruelty in order to find out their reasoning and purpose for this act. Like stated in some previous blogs it has been shown that animal cruelty has been known to be characteristics of serial killers so I hope these guys get locked up for a long time for this and I hope that this will become a deterrence for anyone who may plan on hurting an animal like this.
ReplyDeleteAll of these guys are sentenced now. According to examiner.com, one has five years and the least sentence is 15 months. I do see the need to punish these guys but these guys especially need to rehabilitate. They can still be something. They tortured an animal to death. This is horrid. I’m not fluent in law yet. There has got to be some program to where they can work this conviction off their record. It’s sad to know this is the offense that will follow them for the rest of their life. It’s probably not their only offense. The younger two have so much ahead. I wish we could still give the option of serving your country or something of that nature for the younger lads of this nation. I was an imbecile at the age of 19 (some could argue I still am) but I’ve definitely found the errors of my ways. I’ve never abused an animal but still, I broke some laws/norms. I really hope the younger two get some help and they don’t let this be a stepping stone to a lifetime of crime or murder. Yes they are legally adults but they’re still young and need some direction.
ReplyDeleteI don't care what anybody says! NO human should be able to walk away free after torturing a harmless dog! Justice did nothing to any of those young ignorant boys! I think they should get years in jail for that or have someone poor lighter fluid and have a cigarette thrown on them.
ReplyDeleteThe four men accused of animal cruelty should most definitely have to serve time in prison. But more importantly they need some kind of mental rehabilitation or counseling, because setting a helpless animal on fire like they did is a serious issue that may lead to even worse crimes. These boys shouldn’t just be thrown into prison and forgotten about, because when they get released there isn’t any telling what they might do; let’s face it; doing time doesn’t deter people from committing more crimes. The sad part is they probably thought that they were doing nothing wrong and that it was funny.
ReplyDeleteIt really is sad that these grown men dont know any better than to take on actions like this. You would think at the age of these four animal abusers that they would above the actions of setting a animal on fire or abuse an animal period. These men in my opinion should have the consequence as if they set a human on fire. Suffering prison, probation, and most defiantly a fine. Somewhere they can grow up to learn right from wrong would be good for these four. Somewhere in the mix I agree with Amy above that they should seek some type of medical attention. Anyone to set a animal or human on fire for entertainment or whatever reason in my opinion is suffering something psychological. I know there is no way these four will get away with this crime; however I most defiantly hope they are given the right punishment for the actions of torturing the dog as they have done.
ReplyDeleteI think these guys should have the book thrown at them in court; but in regards to sentencing the men with a charge of violence towards another human being is a varying subject. Even though this act of violence was inhumane, the victim wasn’t a human being, so different rules should be applied. Punishment should depend on the degree of violence committed towards an animal. In regards to punishment in this case, which is extreme, should be fairly close to an actual human case. This is due to the dog’s slow and painful death. Ewing and Little R, the two assailants of this case, should be imprisoned for many years; yet, their punishment shouldn’t be equivalent to an act of burning a human being. Ayers and Carey, I’m assuming were spectators, should be imprisoned as well, but not to the degree of those who physically committed the crime. Being a spectator of a crime and not intervening is punishable under law.
ReplyDeleteI am extremely scared of dogs, but I think animal abuse is a terrible crime. Personally I think harming an animal is the same thing as harming a human because they have feeling as well. I am sure if someone tries setting one the four suspects on fire they will do anything to get the other person in jail, so why not give these guys a series punishment?!. I also think that these guys should get some type of counseling to help them understand that animal abuse is not a joke. This could be a sign that these guys could be possible serial killers in the future. It is obvious that these suspects are not in their right mind because it is out of the norm to think that setting an animal on fire is a normal thing to do. It could also be possible that these guys were intoxicated or under the influence of a drug, but even if that was true it is still not an excuse for the crime they committed. I really hope these guys are punished and hopefully they feel remorseful for what they did to Justice and hopefully they do not commit another crime like this one.
ReplyDeleteA) what kind of sick person would set a 4 month old dog on fire, knowing it has not done anything wrong to you.
ReplyDeleteB) they need to get on the road with this trial, its been a year and nothing has happened.
I think they should get the same punishment as setting a human on fire as others have said above. It's completely insane to just "do this for fun" especially at the age these 'men' are. I think it is time for them to do some growing up....in prison
First, I don't understand how anybody could intentionally harm a living animal.
ReplyDeleteSecond, I think that the punishment should be in line with the crime. I do feel like people should get punished for unnecessary torture to animals but then I think, well what about birds, fish, or bunnies? Nobody is doing anything about these animals. Someone could very well be harming these types of animals to. So is it just cats and dogs that the government cares about because these are common house pets owned by HUMANS? OR is it just the fact that dogs and cats are similar to humans so we treat them the same as us?
Where is the line drawn in animal abuse and punishment? Is there even a line?
Or is it just that the system is broken and people don't really know how to handle these types of crimes so punishment for animal cruelty is similar to the punishment one would get for murder of a human...?
These type of acts of animal cruelty is a very inhumane thing to do. Setting a dog on fire is one of the worst animal abuses that there can be. Just to know that how much the puppy suffered while being on fire, and the pain from the burnings is totally sad and against the will of god. These idiots should be sentenced to several years in prison to be punished for what they did and think about what they really did. They should all be sentenced equally because they were all there, and neither one of them did anything to stop the cruelty. Our justice system shouldn't see these type of crimes as minor or anything like that just because they're not humans.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand how these men could commit such a horrible crime?! The sad part id that they are not the only ones that are out there doing things like burning dogs. These guys should spend a lot of time in prison for what they did. Even though they didn't burn a human, I still think they should pay for it. What a horrible thing to do to a dog. It disgusts me mostly because they just have no sense of what's morally right or wrong. These are four grown men that have nothing better to do than to make an innocent dog suffer. This is definitely not something that should be ignored.
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ReplyDeleteI hurt when I think anyone could just set an animal on fire or hurt an animal for selfish gain or entertainment. I do feel like they should be held to human standards for animal cruelty. There is no reasonable answer or explanation for what has happened or has been pressed upon this poor animal that could not fight his attackers or get away from them. Why oh why would someone even think about catching any living thing on fire for kicks or any thing else. I am just appalled at what has occurred and I hope and pray they are all convicted and that the sentence is harsh enough that they will be in jail for a while and not able to do this horrible crime again to anyone's pet or any other animal they might set in their sights. There is no justifying what they have done. I do not know what could have possessed them to do this but they will not even start to feel the anguish, hurt, and disgust of the family that lost their pet they loved so dearly. I do not feel like any penalty they get will be strong enough due to the fact that it wasn't a human that they did this to; however, I hope they get the strongest that the law will allow and that they might be rehabilatated so that they will not even think of doing a horrible thing like this again to anyone or any living thing. I will continue praying for them because this act was truly evil all the way around.
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