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Case #12660 Rating: 3.1 out of 5
Dog beaten to death with shovel, thrown in trash
Denver, CO (US)Incident Date: Sunday, Nov 4, 2007
County: Arapahoe
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Joseph B. Trujillo
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
A man accused of beating a Chihuahua to death with a shovel and then throwing it in a Dumpster said he didn't do it. Joseph B. Trujillo, 44, was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals Wednesday, November 7.
The woman who owned the dog still can't believe it happened.
"For three days all I've been doing is crying," a tearful Elaine Ulibarri told 7NEWS on Thursday. "It feels like I've lost one of my kids."
Ulibarri said the 5-year-old Chihuahua was a stray she took in about eight months ago. She was not home when the alleged incident happened.
Trujillo was arrested Sunday, November 4, when police and Animal Control officers were called to South Bryant Street and Bayaud Avenue on the report of a dead dog. Witnesses told police that Trujillo became upset with the dog and beat it to death.
Trujillo was taken into custody at the scene.
"He went out to eat afterwards like nothing happened," Ulibarri said. "No mercy at all."
From jail, Trujillo told 7NEWS he's been falsely accused of the crime.
"If I actually did this, it would've been cruel, but I didn't do it," Trujillo said.
Trujillo, who lives with his wife in Ulibarri's home, claims his mother-in-law is trying to get him in trouble.
"She just doesn't want me around her daughter," Trujillo said. "I've never, ever in my life killed a dog."
A neighbor said Trujillo is lying.
"I know he's lying because I watched him do it," Eric Bernal told 7NEWS by phone. "I actually saw him carrying the dog to back by the scruff of the neck. The dog was yelping or screaming. It was really disturbing."
Bernal said he originally planned to report the incident anonymously, but is now prepared to testify in court about what he said he observed from his back porch.
Trujillo remained jailed under a $2,500 bond on Thursday.
He is scheduled to appear in Denver County Court on Friday to be formally advised of the charge.
If convicted of the crime, he could spend up to 18 months in prison.
Case UpdatesA man convicted of beating a family member's dog to death will serve six years in prison. Joseph Trujillo, 44, was sentenced Friday in Denver District Court. He was found to be a habitual criminal. In May, he was found guilty of aggravated cruelty to animals.
Denver Police say Trujillo beat the family member's Chihuahua to death on November 4, 2007, after getting upset at the dog. He then put the dead animal in a Dumpster.
Police went to the home in the 100 block of South Bryant Street after animal control officers found the dog. Trujillo was taken into custody at the scene. | Source: 9 News - June 21, 2008
Update posted on Jun 22, 2008 - 7:27PM |
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