Attorneys/Judges
| Defense(s): | Thomas B. Mading | | Judge(s): | Roger F. Mahon |
CONVICTED: Was justice served?
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Case #12420 Rating: 1.2 out of 5
Dog stabbed, throat slit
Holland Township, NJ (US)Incident Date: Wednesday, Oct 10, 2007
County: Hunterdon
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: George Kerr
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
A school custodian distraught over a pending divorce is now facing criminal charges because he slit the throat of a family dog and buried it in a shallow grave behind his home, authorities said.
George Kerr, 50, was charged with one count of third-degree animal cruelty and one count of third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose after police said Kerr told his wife "he took care of" one of the family's two dogs by slicing its neck and stabbing it in the ribs.
Authorities described the slain dog, named Annie, as a black Labrador mix.
Kerr's wife, Laura, told authorities that upon her return from work Wednesday afternoon, she came across her husband kneeling in the backyard - an unusual sight because Kerr's schedule as a custodian at Hunterdon Central Regional High School normally keeps him out of the house until 11 p.m.
Laura Kerr also grew suspicious when Annie did not greet her when she walked into the home and when Kerr couldn't spot the animal outside, according to court documents.
The other dog remained in the home unharmed, police said.
Feeling uncomfortable, Laura Kerr grabbed her sneakers and dashed out of her Mount Joy Road home within two minutes, authorities said.
From there, Laura Kerr contacted local police, who escorted her back to the home that night. When Laura Kerr arrived, her husband "said he took care of her in reference to Annie," according to a police affidavit.
Kerr was then transported by police to the Hunterdon Behavioral Health facility at Hunterdon Medical Center. Once criminal charges were lodged against him, Kerr was arrested and taken to Hunterdon County Jail in default of $15,000 bail, which included a 10 percent option.
A jail official said Kerr remained in custody Friday afternoon. When released, Kerr may not have contact with his wife, according to court documents.
Kerr may have been driven to commit the crime because the couple were beginning divorce proceedings and were in the process of selling their home, court documents show.
Laura Kerr had explained to her husband that she would be taking the other dog and three cats with her to a new apartment after selling the home, authorities said. Laura Kerr told police she planned to keep Annie at the nearby Hunterdon Humane Animal Shelter until she found a place to house both canines.
When reached at the family home Friday, Laura Kerr declined comment.
Deputy Chief Dan Hurley, spokesman for the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office, said an investigation revealed Kerr "had made no threats directly to his wife, any other family members or anyone in the general public."
Still, Hurley said the offense "involved a defenseless animal who was viciously killed."
According to a domestic-violence expert in Hunterdon County, killing an animal - or similar acts of violence - may be a form of coercion or a twisted attempt to gain control of a relationship.
"In domestic violence we call it the cycle of violence," said Nancy Connor, executive director of SAFE in Hunterdon, a crisis-services organization. "It escalates, and the cycle of violence sometimes gets to where abusers threaten to harm pets, personal property, threaten to harm the children, as well as the victims in violence. So, that's all part of the pattern of abuse and escalation. That's a very common theme we see in domestic violence at SAFE in Hunterdon."
Case UpdatesA former Holland Township man who pleaded guilty to killing the family dog has been sentenced to probation.
George Kerr, 51, was sentenced Friday, Oct. 3, in State Superior Court by Judge Roger F. Mahon to two years probation, 30 days community service and seven days in Hunterdon County Jail. Kerr will also have to submit to DNA analysis.
"I'd like to apologize for what I did,'' Kerr said when asked by Mahon if he had any comments before sentencing.
Mahon agreed with defense attorney Thomas Mading and doctors at Hunterdon Behavior Health who evaluated Kerr on behalf of the court that despite the cruelty of the act, taking into account Kerr's lack of criminal history and the circumstances surrounding the incident, that the act was almost certainly an anomaly, and that there likely was a "low risk of anti-social behavior'' from Kerr in the future.
Kerr was initially accepted into a Pre-Trail Intervention program, but the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office reversed the decision, citing objections from law enforcement officials and the Society For the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Mading called the reversal an abuse that showed "a clear error in judgment,'' but Mahon ruled that the decision should stand.
Kerr, a former custodian at Hunterdon Central Regional High School now working at an unnamed truck stop, was apparently distraught over his pending divorce when he admittedly slit the throat of his wife's dog and buried the animal in a shallow grave behind his Holland Township home, according to court documents and testimony.
Court papers describe the dog, named Annie, as a bully-breed mix, an animal characteristic of a pit bull and its close relatives. Kerr's wife, Laura, initially told authorities that upon her return from work the afternoon of Oct. 10, 2007, she saw her husband kneeling in the backyard -- an unusual sight because his schedule as a custodian normally kept him out of the house until 11 p.m.
Laura Kerr also said she grew suspicious when Annie did not greet her when she walked into the home, according to court documents. The family's other canine remained in the home unharmed, police have said.
Feeling uncomfortable, Laura Kerr dashed out of her home within minutes, authorities have said. Later, Laura Kerr contacted local police, who escorted her back to the home that night. When she arrived, her husband said "he took care of her,'' in reference to Annie, according to a police affidavit. | Source: MyCentralJersey - Oct 4, 2008
Update posted on Oct 4, 2008 - 8:59PM |
A Holland Township man indicted with slitting the throat of a family dog lost his bid Monday to enter on appeal a pretrial intervention program.
State Superior Court Judge Roger F. Mahon sided with Hunterdon County prosecutors in determining that the mental-health needs of George Kerr, 51, would be better served "with more intensive supervision," possibly in probation, than in the pretrial intervention program offered to first-time offenders as a way to potentially clear their criminal records.
At issue is a "prosecutorial veto" of a criminal division manager's decision to admit Kerr into the program. Although he was initially accepted, the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office reversed the decision, citing objections from law enforcement officials and the Society For the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Defense attorney Thomas B. Mading called the reversal an abuse that showed "a clear error in judgement," but Mahon ruled that the decision should stand.
Both sides then entered into plea negotiations. A new court date was not immediately set.
Kerr, a former custodian at Hunterdon Central Regional High School, was apparently distraught over a proposed divorce when he admittedly slit the throat of a family dog and buried the animal in a shallow grave behind his Holland Township home, according to court documents and testimony.
Court papers describe the dog, named Annie, as a bully-breed mix, or an animal that has characteristics of a pit bull and its close relatives.
Kerr's wife, Laura, initially told authorities that upon her return from work the afternoon of Oct. 10, 2007, she saw her husband kneeling in the backyard -- an unusual sight because his schedule as a custodian normally kept him out of the house until 11 p.m.
Laura Kerr also said she grew suspicious when Annie did not greet her when she walked into the home, according to court documents. The family's other canine remained in the home unharmed, police have said.
Feeling uncomfortable, Laura Kerr dashed out of her home within minutes, authorities have said. Later, Laura Kerr contacted local police, who escorted her back to the home that night. When she arrived, her husband "said he took care of her in reference to Annie," according to a police affidavit.
Kerr has been indicted on one count of third-degree animal cruelty, one count of third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and one count of fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, according to court documents.
Kerr's wife initially applied for and obtained a restraining order but later had it dismissed, Mading said. Laura Kerr also encouraged the prosecutor's office to admit Kerr into the pretrial intervention program to protect his job.
Mading said that Kerr was recently terminated from his position. | Source: MyCentralJersey - July 21, 2008
Update posted on Jul 21, 2008 - 2:12PM |
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