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Case #12827 Rating: 2.7 out of 5
Dog stolen, slaughtered for food
Moanalua Valley, HI (US)Incident Date: Sunday, Dec 16, 2007
County: Honolulu
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Convicted
Defendants/Suspects:
» Nelson Domingo
» Saturnino Palting
Case Updates: 6 update(s) available
The owner of a stolen pet said his dog may have ended up slaughtered for a meal in Moanalua Valley this weekend.
Cady was a 50-pound German Shepard, Labrador mix. He got his name from being his owner's golf buddy. Frank Manuma said Cady was stolen at Moanalua Golf Club on Sunday.
"He was gone, and the leash was gone, and all that was left was his dish plates and his water," Manuma said.
Manuma said he left Cady on a long leash with food and water. He said he never imagined something bad would happen to the pet.
"They said they saw these two people force the dog into the car and took my animal away," Manuma said.
Two men were brought back to the golf course for questioning.
"He killed the dog because he had to feed his family. What I heard about the abduction is what I just said, they abducted him, and took him, and, and they slaughtered him," Manuma said.
Cady's dog house sits empty. Manuma said he and his wife are reeling over what happened.
"It hurt us a lot, my wife and I. She wasn't here when it happened. She just flew in last night. I had to break the news to her. Needless to say we lost a lot of rest time over this," Manuma said.
Two golf course employees were arrested for second-degree theft. The golf course manager said both employees have been fired, and that Moanalua Golf Club is cooperating with police.
Case UpdatesTwo men who pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges for killing a family pet dog were sentenced Tuesday.
One of the men will spend time in prison.
The dog was named Caddy. It was stolen and killed by Nelson Domingo and Saturnino Palting.
Frank and Debbie Manuma owned the dog, and at the sentencing they had this to say. "We have forgiven these gentlemen. Because they have a life too, and as dog owners and dog lovers we can't undermine the human compassion," said Frank.
Attorneys for the two men argue the law passed in 2007 is vague, and that their clients didn't kill the dog in a cruel manner.
Lee Hayakawa, Palting's Attorney says, "What comes to mind are the situations like Michael Vick where dogs are being tortured, just very inhumanely treated. And that isn't, this isn't that type of situation your honor."
Laura Yoshida, Domingo's Attorney says, "This is not a case where someone left a group of animals caged without food and water. And left them in such a condition that they turned on each other."
The state asked Domingo and Palting serve maximum five year prison terms.
Manuma and the Hawaiian Humane Society called for public service that could help shed light on animal cruelty.
"In this particular case the egregiousness of this crime to an innocent animal is despicable," says Judge Randall Lee.
Three months in jail for Domingo, as well as 400 hours of community service, and five years probation.
Palting got the same probation and 300 hours community service.
"I think the Judge was really fair in his decision to put down that penalty on them. More than I expected certainly," said Manuma. | Source: KHON - July 14, 2009
Update posted on Jul 16, 2009 - 10:19AM |
Two men pleaded guilty to first-degree cruelty to animals May 6, 2009 during jury selection for their trials on charges of stealing a pet dog from the Moanalua Golf Club and butchering it.
Nelson Domingo, 45, and Saturnino Palting, 59, entered the pleas. They were originally charged with second-degree theft and first-degree cruelty to animals. Cruelty to animals is a class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison and $10,000 fine.
Domingo and Palting were employees of Moanalua Golf Club on Dec. 16, 2007, when they took the pet dog of a club member to a co-worker's house where they butchered the animal to eat.
Police said as the two men were butchering the dog, their co-worker received a telephone call from the golf club manager asking about Domingo and Palting. The two men got scared and allegedly threw the carcass into a stream behind the home. | Source: Star Bulletin - May 6, 2009
Update posted on May 9, 2009 - 12:06AM |
Nelson Domingo, 44, and Saturnino Palting, 59, are scheduled to stand trial in state court this month for second-degree theft and first-degree cruelty to animals. Both crimes are class C felonies punishable by up to five years in prison and $10,000 fine.
Palting has already forfeited his car to the state because it was used to transport the dog.
Jury selection started last week and is expected to be completed this week.
Because of the amount of media coverage of the case, Circuit Judge Randal Lee is questioning prospective jurors one-by-one.
The court is asking them whether they have heard, read or seen media accounts of the case. If there aren't enough people who are not aware of the case for a jury, then the rest of the seats will be filled by people who know about the case but say that knowledge will not affect their ability to be fair and impartial.
Domingo and Palting were employees of Moanalua Golf Club on Dec. 16, 2007, when they allegedly took the pet dog of a club member to a co-worker's house where they butchered the animal to eat.
Police said as the two men were butchering the dog, their co-worker received a telephone call from the golf club manager asking about Domingo and Palting. The two men got scared and allegedly threw the carcass into a stream behind the home. | Source: Star Bulletin - May 3, 2009
Update posted on May 9, 2009 - 12:05AM |
More details came out in court Tuesday about a case of a dog stolen and allegedly eaten by the thieves.
Witness Marcos Norbert said Moaunalua Golf Club co-workers Saturnino Palting and Nelson Domingo claimed they had their boss' permission to take Caddie, a shepherd-lab mix owned by a golfer.
Norbert said they took the dog and put in the trunk of a car.
"They was telling me that they [were] going to kill the dog," Norbet said.
Moaunalua Golf Club Manager Steven Burke said he was outraged later confronted his two employees.
"I asked them why would they take the dog, and at that point they told me, 'Feeding, feeding,'" Burke said. "I said, 'For feeding, for feeding who?' and he motioned between the two of them."
The two men are charged with misdemeanor theft and felony animal cruelty. Their attorneys said prosecutors haven't made it clear what is meant by cruelty. The judge read from a witness statement.
"Palting was holding the dog down while defendant Domingo stuck the dog in its chest or stabbed the dog in his chest," Burke said.
Prosecutors said the details to this case are crucial because the animal cruelty law was written to ban dog-eating, so exactly how the dog died will be important in the case
The judge agreed the case can go on. The defense's next tactic is to get the men's confession to their boss kept out of their trial. | Source: KITV - July 1, 2008
Update posted on Jul 6, 2008 - 11:10AM |
One of the men accused of taking someone's pet dog from Moanalua Golf Club and slaughtering it to eat could forfeit his car to the state because it was used to transport the animal from where it was allegedly stolen.
Honolulu police seized Saturnino Palting's brown 1994 Saturn four-door sedan Dec. 16 when they arrested him and co-defendant Nelson Domingo.
Palting, 58, and Domingo, 43, both of Kalihi, are charged with second-degree theft and first-degree animal cruelty. Their trial date is March 31.
The two men were golf course maintenance workers who were fired when their boss found out what had allegedly happened.
According to state forfeiture law, Palting stands to lose the car "because the car was used in the commission of a felony which was theft," said Charlotte Duarte, deputy city prosecutor.
The car's estimated value is $2,000, according to forfeiture documents Duarte filed with the Attorney General's Office.
Duarte said she sent Palting the state's petition of its intent to seek forfeiture of his vehicle Monday at Oahu Community Correctional Center, where he remains in custody pending trial. He has 30 days after receiving the petition to respond.
Domingo is free on $20,000 bail.
According to the forfeiture petition, the men apparently did not have had the opportunity to eat the dog. The two men took the dog to the home of a co-worker in Aiea. As the two men were butchering the dog, the co-worker got a phone call from the golf course and told Palting and Domingo that police were looking for them because of the missing dog, the petition said. The co-worker said the two men got scared and threw the carcass into Kalauao Stream, the petition said. | Source: Star Bulletin - Feb 6, 2008
Update posted on Feb 6, 2008 - 10:39PM |
A Honolulu grand jury has indicted two men under a new animal cruelty law.
Saturnino Palting and Nelson Domingo are the first to be indicted under this new law--- passed last year making this crime a felony.
According to the indictment, on December 16th - both men stole and killed Frank Manuma's eight month-old dog...who was tied up at the Moanalua Golf Course.
"Both suspects were identified as having stolen a pet dog without the owners consent, who was tied up at the Moanalua Golf Course, and then left and then killed it at another persons house and chopped it up to eat," said Deputy Prosecutor, Vickie Kapp.
The indictment says Palting and Domingo knowingly either tortured or mutilated the dog resulting in serious bodily injury and eventually its death.
According to prosecutors, both men claim the dog ran away, but witnesses testify otherwise.
Neither suspect has any prior offenses.
They face one count each of second degree theft and first degree cruelty to animals.
If convicted, Palting and Domingo could face five years in prison and a ten-thousand dollar fine. | Source: KHON - Jan 23, 2008
Update posted on Jan 23, 2008 - 10:37AM |
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