A pair of teenage Atlanta brothers will soon begin serving a ten-year prison sentence for the torture killing of a puppy.
The
Moulder brothers, 19-year-old Justin and 17-year-old Joshua, pleaded
guilty to binding the puppy in duct tape, then cooking the dog to death
in a gas oven.
The boys threw themselves on the mercy of the court, but the court had other ideas.
"Your actions are totally despicable; totally reprehensible," said the judge from the bench.
With that, the judge sentenced each of the boys to ten years.
"It's
going to be rough on them," said defense attorney Timothy Owens. "We'll
get on with our lives, but they're the ones who have to live with this.
They're the ones who have to do the time, and quite frankly, the
sentence didn't match up to the crime."
But the courtroom was
packed with people who disagreed -- many believing the sentence was not
long enough, given the brothers' conduct.
"That was very
surprising, and actually frightening," said prosecutor Laura Janssen.
"Just to see how little remorse they had, and how something so serious
was so funny to them."
Thousands of people from around the world demanded justice in the case -- a rare outpouring that the D.A. did not ignore.
"We
wanted to send a message to people in our county that we really
respected the life of an animal in this case," said Fulton County
District Attorney Paul Howard.
Prosecutors said the case went
way beyond animal abuse. They believe for the Moulder brothers, it was
puppies first; humans next. And that the torture was little more than a
rehearsal for murder.
from
11 Alive
Here's the link to sign the petition to thank this wonderful DAand if that wasn't enough from the world of animal cruelty:
More News Headlines
» Source: Babineaux Says Dog Mean
Last Modified: 2/24/2007 10:55:45 AM
According
to a source, Atlanta Falcon Jonathan Babineaux has told police he was
attempting to train his girlfriend's pit bull mix not to be aggressive
the day the animal was injured and died.
A preliminary
examination indicated the dog, named Kilo, died from blunt force trauma
to the head. Gwinnett County police have not revealed details of
Babineaux's story, but have said his statements do not add up.
Babineaux,
a defensive tackle for the Falcons, was arrested early Monday morning
after the death of his girlfriend's pet. A police report states that
the couple had a fight at their Lawrenceville home, and that
Babineaux's girlfriend left to go to the movies. The police report
states that Babineaux later called his girlfriend, telling her to come
home to check on the animal. Kilo died on the way to an emergency
animal clinic. A preliminary report indicates the pit bull died from
blunt force trauma to the head.
A source told 11Alive News that
Babineaux has told investigators that while at his home, Kilo became
aggressive. According to the source, Babineaux claims he was taught to
swing the dog by its leash when it acted aggressively so the animal
would become disoriented. The source says that Babineaux told police
that while doing this, he accidentally swung the dog against a wall.
A local dog trainer says she's never heard of such a method to quell an animal's aggressiveness.
You
don't use aggression on aggression," said Susie Aga of Atlanta Dog
Trainer in Alpharetta. "It's going to make the aggression worse. That's
something that would be challenging the dog, plus it's going to hurt
them."
Police are waiting for the full results of a necropsy
that will tell them more about the animal's injuries. Investigators
will compare those results with Babineaux's story to see if they add up.
Attempts to reach Babineaux and his attorney were unsuccessful.
