Attorneys/Judges
| Prosecutor(s): | Patrick Carmody | | Defense(s): | Christian J. Hoey | | Judge(s): | Robert L. Davis Jr. |
Mutilated dog found during drug raid
Coatesville, PA (US)Incident Date: Sunday, Nov 16, 2008
County: Chester
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged:
» LaQuanta Chapman
» Bryan Byrd
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
A weekend drug raid at a house in Coatesville turned grisly when detectives found the remains of a mutilated pit bull stuffed in a trash bag in the middle of the dining room.
LaQuanta Chapman, 29, allegedly told police that he had beaten the dog with a blunt object and cut off one of its legs, then, after it was dead, he and several others shot it multiple times with a .22-caliber gun.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, Chapman said he then had cut the dog up with a chainsaw and put the remains in the trash bag.
He and Bryan Byrd, 19, of Newark, N.J., were arrested Saturday and charged with drug and weapons offenses along with killing and maiming a domestic animal.
A preliminary hearing scheduled for yesterday before Magisterial District Judge Robert L. Davis Jr. was postponed until Dec. 3 because defense lawyers were not available, Davis said.
But since both defendants were present, he said, he raised their bail from the $5,000 set by Magisterial District Judge Jeremy Blackburn on Saturday to $100,000 and ordered them sent to Chester County prison.
But outside court, Davis said, Chapman sat on a sidewalk, told officials he was in pain, and was taken to Brandywine Hospital for evaluation. Byrd was temporarily held at the Coatesville jail, Davis said.
The judge said he was "frightened" that Chapman apparently waived his Miranda rights and told police that he had killed and mutilated the dog. He said Chapman seemed to think such behavior was acceptable.
According to court records, Chapman has a long history of drug and weapons offenses. As a convicted felon, he is not allowed to own or possess firearms.
According to the affidavit, when police executed a search warrant Saturday at Chapman's residence on the first block of Chester Avenue, he was wearing a bulletproof vest and sitting on two loaded handguns.
In the same room they found two large bags, each containing "a substantial amount" of marijuana, according to the affidavit. A scale, other drug paraphernalia, and additional firearms were also in the house, police said.
The affidavit stated that Chapman also had told police that earlier in the week he killed another dog with a shovel and put it out in the garbage to be picked up by trash collectors.
Chuck McDevitt, a spokesman for the Chester County SPCA, said yesterday that humane-society officers had in the past found remains of mutilated animals that were used in fights or for religious purposes.
"What's unusual about this case is that one man admitted to it," he said.
SPCA officer Cheryl Shaw removed the remains of the dog, which she identified as a pit bull, and they are being examined for forensic evidence, McDevitt said. Shaw is expected to testify at the Dec. 3 hearing, he said.
Case UpdatesA Coatesville man arrested after police found a mutilated pit bull in his dining room during a drug raid told police he had killed and dismembered two dogs, a detective testified yesterday.
The testimony came during a 21/2-hour preliminary hearing for LaQuanta Chapman, 29, who was held for trial on all charges. His codefendant, Bryan Byrd, 19, of Newark, N.J., waived his hearing.
Both men will face trial on conspiracy, drug, and weapons offenses. Chapman also faces charges related to abusing and killing animals.
Coatesville Detective Sgt. Chris McEvoy said that when police executed a search warrant on Nov. 15 at Chapman's Chester Avenue home illicit drugs "were pretty much in every room" and Chapman was carrying two loaded guns and wearing body armor.
"What we have in this case is a house of crime: a house full of drugs, a house full of guns," said First Assistant District Attorney Patrick Carmody.
McEvoy testified that Chapman told him he killed the first dog because of "poor performance" in the dogfights he held in his garage, and the second slaying occurred because the dog had smothered some of its own puppies.
Defense attorney Christian J. Hoey said his client's description of clubbing, chainsawing, and shooting a dog highlighted his mental impairment. After the hearing, Hoey said he would seek to have Chapman committed to Norristown State Hospital.
"There's no evidence at all that shows any mental illness that would excuse him from culpability for these crimes," Carmody said, adding that Chapman was evaluated at Chester County prison. | Source: Philly.Com - Dec 18, 2008
Update posted on Dec 19, 2008 - 10:09AM |
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