NO JUSTICE FOR PUPPY KILLED BY MAN THAT DRILLED HOLES IN HER HEAD

[Stephanie Durecko]

BRISTOL - The man accused of savagely killing a pet pit bull by drilling holes into her head may never go to trial for the attack, a judge said Wednesday.

Instead, Severino Cruz is likely to be deported.

During a lengthy hearing, Judge Joseph Doherty said the animal abuse allegations against Cruz "shock the conscience," and refused Cruz's request for a special form of probation. Doherty continued the case until May 22, but acknowledged that that session probably won't accomplish much.

"It may very well be that Mr. Cruz will not be in court that day," prosecutor Stephen Preleski said in court. "He probably will be in federal custody at that time."




After the hearing, judicial marshals led Cruz out of the courtroom and planned to transfer him to a federal detention facility in Hartford. Cruz's attorney, Deron Freeman. said his client probably will be deported to Mexico in the next two weeks or so.

Cruz's case has drawn widespread publicity, leading hundreds of animal rights activists and others to write letters imploring Doherty to send Cruz to prison. About 30 activists with banners and placards protested outside Superior Court before the hearing, with many of them chanting "Abuse an animal, go to jail."

Cruz, 32, is accused of killing the dog after the animal bit his son in the basement of a Plainville duplex where the Cruzes were living with extended family. He has been free on bond since his arrest in January. But Cruz turned out to be living in the country illegally, and Freeman said it appears that he will be deported sometime this month. That would leave the animal abuse case hanging over his head if he ever returned to the United States, Freeman said.

In court, Freeman asked the judge to grant Cruz accelerated rehabilitation, which would have disposed of the case and left his record clear so long as he did not get into any new legal trouble in the following year. Freeman said his client is a hard-working, law-abiding family man who had acted in a moment of rage after learning that the dog, named Baby, had bitten his 9-year-old son.

"He's remorseful. I know there are reports that he's not, but those reports are untrue," Freeman told Doherty.

Preleski said the attack on the dog was too severe to allow for accelerated rehabilitation, and questioned Freeman's claim that Cruz was law-abiding.

"He's here illegally, he's been deported once already," Preleski said.

It's unclear how long Cruz lived in the country illegally, but Freeman said he had worked at the same job at a pizza restaurant for four years.

Freeman said that Cruz's family had nothing to do with the attack. He said Cruz's wife and children have received hate mail since the arrest, and he emphasized that with Cruz scheduled to be deported, letters from animal rights activists won't reach him in Plainville any longer.

[Lora E Bertell]

This needs to make headlines and infuriate the masses. I would gladly put my tax dollars toward seeing him rot in jail before we send his butt back to his own country. He has been here for at least four years, so what is the hurry now. Make him pay for this horrific crime now and let others know that this is not acceptable and will not be tolerated. Send a strong message with the maximum sentence and then escort him out of our country!

[Krystal]

Even if he is not aressted for curlty (wich he should) then he should get aressted for being here illegally. He should be sent to Prison not Mexico! I think if you abouse an animal that what ever you did to the animal should be done to you. If the dog bit his son that was only 9 years old then the kid must of hurt the dog and not relised it.

[Linda]

Your right Nuria, I think the same way.. people like this do not have heart all the way. These are the type of people that have grown up in a hard environment when they were kids and come from abusive parents down the line. They grow with thick skin and a hard and heavy heart. They feel nothing and they are selfish and very self centered. People like this should not be able to have animals.

At times like this, I wish that our creator didn't put animals here on earth with us. All some of these humans do is hurt them terribly and eat them.

[Vladimir]

At times like this, I wish that our creator didn't put animals here on earth with us. All some of these humans do is hurt them terribly and eat them.

I feel the same way.

In the book "Dominion," (The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy), author Matthew Scully discusses the Old Testament passage wherein God grants mankind power over the animals: (Genesis 1:24-26, ("... Let us make man in our image; and let them have dominion over... "). But with this privliege comes the grave responsibility to respect life, to treat animals with simple dignity and compassion.

We do nothing but the opposite, every day, it seems to me: particularly in how animals are treated within the realm of modern agriculture, dominated by factory farming techniques and attitudes; and which geometrically expands every day. Deporting this "man" without punishing him merely recycles the problem. He will return, as he has done before, having learned nothing, and paid no price for his crime.

[Linda]

Thank you Vladimir for sharing my feelings. :-(

[Bullies2Love]

I have a thought here. Instead of all talking about this horrible act that Cruz did to this puppy what can we do to bring justice for this dog?

Is there a petition we can form that we can send a message that to do nothing and sending Cruz back to his country is sending the wrong message and he won't be accountable for his crime.

How does one create a petition?

[Linda]

Hi Bullie2love,
There are some addresses in the beginning of this page that you can still write to and express your thoughts.

[Randi]

"He's here illegally, he's been deported once already," Preleski said.

"He's remorseful. I know there are reports that he's not, but those reports are untrue," Freeman told Doherty. - It's not a matter of how bad he feels. He did the crime, he needs to pay the time...a stolen life will never be brought back, but I'm sure he'll jump the border again...

[Kelly Lizyness]

deported or not he should be prosecuted for his actions.

i do not know what is wrong with these idiots out there especially the illegal foreigners i mean they get everything from us anyways and now they want to break the law and not get in trouble for it. Pit bull or not this was an ANIMAL that he did this too and he needs to be punished. maybe we should do what the bible says an eye for an eye or in his case a hole for a hole. Lets drill holes in his head and see how he likes it.

Kelly

[gayle67]

sounds like a plan. But, oh wait, that would be too inhumane. The scumbag. But it's ok for him to do it to a PUPPY which is still a baby who is learning right from wrong. Also, what was his 9yr old son DOING to the puppy to make it bite him, i wonder....

[gayle67]

They talk like deporting him is punishment enough for this horrendous crime. He needs to go to jail because when he is deported, he will just return in about a week. They even say he has been deported once before so nothing will stop him from coming back again especially since he has a family here. Basically nothing is going to happen to him which is wrong!

[Kelly Lizyness]

gayle67 you are correct. what was the 9 year old doing to make the puppy bite him. Puppies usually bite if they are being tortured, tormented or agitated no matter what the breed is the 9 year old must have been doing something.

my cousin got bit because he was teasing our lab when he was aroung 9 and our dog had to be put down. this was about 25 years or longer ago.

you are also right. if he is being deported then he needs to be punished he will just come back again especially with having family here.

that pisses me off, sorry for the language.

deport the sick s.o.b. and get him out of america.

i say casterate him while he is awake.

Kelly