Animal Abuse: Serial dog killer arrested - Okemos, MI | Pet-Abuse.Com Animal Cruelty Database

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Case ID: 18170

Classification: Beating, Throwing

Animal: dog (non pit-bull)

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Abuse was retaliation against animal's bad behavior

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Attorneys/Judges

Prosecutor(s):	Stuart Dunnings III, Lisa McCormick, Jeff Cruz
Defense(s):	George Zulakis, Kimberly Savage, Stacia Buchanan
Judge(s):	Donald Allen, Paula J. M. Manderfield

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Serial dog killer arrested
Okemos, MI (US)

Incident Date: Tuesday, Jun 21, 2011
County: Ingham

Charges: Misdemeanor, Felony CTA
Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: Andrew David Thompson

Case Updates: 8 update(s) available

A Michigan State University osteopathic medicine student faces charges that he killed 10 dogs and nearly killed another.

Andrew David Thompson, 24, has been arraigned in 55th District Court on 10 felony counts of animal killing and one misdemeanor count of animal cruelty, court records show.

Thompson is being held at the Ingham County Jail on a $100,000 bond. He faces up to four years in prison on the felony charges and 93 days in jail on the misdemeanor.

Prosecutors say the killings happened between October 2010 and the present. Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III would not comment on how the dogs, Italian Greyhounds, died.

Thompson also is expected to face similar charges in East Lansing. He has not yet been arraigned.

His attorney, George Zulakis, said he has not seen any police reports and could not comment on the allegations
.

Case Updates

The trial of a suspended Michigan State University medical school student was set to begin next week, but now its starting date is undetermined.

Twenty-four-year-old Andrew David Thompson's attorney Stacia Buchanan told MLive Lansing media affiliate WLNS that Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Paula Manderfield granted a motion to rescind some of the 13 felony charges against Thompson.

Buchanan argued in November that evidence regarding the number of dogs Thompson allegedly killed was not actually permissible in court because Thompson was not properly Mirandized by Ingham County Animal Control officials earlier this year.

Now the case is headed back to Ingham County District Court.

Thompson told Animal Control officials that he killed a dozen dogs - including throwing them to the ground or against the wall, grabbing them by the neck or beating them - over the course of several months in the past year.

Authorities allege Thompson killed dogs - all small Italian greyhounds - while he lived at an apartment in Okemos. He has also been ordered to stand trial in connection with the killings of three dogs that authorities say took place in East Lansing.

Buchanan said last month her client did not feel he was free to leave during the voluntary interview, but Ingham County Assistant Prosecutor Jeff Cruz said Thompson was not forced or threatened during the interview and that he had the opportunity to leave on his own volition.

Thompson was released from the Ingham County Jail last month after four months behind bars. He posted 10 percent of the $50,000 his bond was lowered to from $1 million by Manderfield.

Source: mlive.com - Dec 1, 2011
Update posted on Dec 1, 2011 - 11:35AM

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An Ingham County Circuit Court judge will determine whether to allow statements a Michigan State University medical student made to Ingham County Animal Control officials about killing Italian greyhound puppies in his upcoming trial.

Andrew David Thompson, 24, who is suspended from MSU's College of Osteopathic Medicine, faces 13 felony charges of animal killing or torture in the deaths of at least 12 Italian greyhound puppies from September 2010 to June of this year.

His attorney, Stacia Buchanan, argued today that Thompson was not read his Miranda rights by Animal Control Deputy Jodi LeBombard, and felt he was not free to leave during his voluntary interview with Animal Control officials.

Buchanan also argued to quash the bind over of charges to circuit court because she said evidence regarding the number of dogs was not admissible at the preliminary hearing, which determined whether the case would go to trial. Thompson's trial is scheduled to begin Dec. 5.

Ingham County Assistant Prosecutor Jeff Cruz argued that Thompson was not coerced or threatened during the interview and had every opportunity to leave if he wanted, and the evidence regarding the dogs was allowed in a preliminary hearing.

Ingham County Circuit Judge Paula Manderfield said she would review video of the interview and transcripts

Source: lansingstatejournal.com - Nov 21, 2011
Update posted on Nov 22, 2011 - 6:00AM

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The 24-year-old osteopathic medicine student charged in the killings of a dozen dogs was released today on bond from the Ingham County Jail, officials said.

Andrew David Thompson, a second-year student who has been suspended from Michigan State University's College of Osteopathic Medicine, had been held at the jail since June when he was charged with 13 felonies.

Thompson admitted killing at least 12 Italian greyhound puppies between September 2010 and June, according to court testimony. An investigator said Thompson said he did it out of anger.

He has been ordered to stand trial on 13 felony counts of killing or torturing animals. No date has been set. Each of the counts is punishable by up to four years in prison. He also faces a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge.

On Sept. 28, Ingham County Circuit Judge Paula Manderfield granted a request by Thompson's attorney to reduce his total bond amounts from $1 million to $50,000.

He posted 10 percent of that, $5,000, today.

As part of his bond conditions, Thompson has to wear a GPS tether that can track his exact location. He also is not allowed to have pets and must remain in his residence from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Thompson has arranged to live with a friend at an Okemos apartment complex, his attorney previously said.

Source: lansingstatejournal.com - Oct 10, 2011
Update posted on Oct 10, 2011 - 9:18PM

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The Michigan State University osteopathic medicine student accused of killing a dozen dogs made threats against a witness in the case, prosecutors said in court Wednesday.

In arguments against reducing Andrew David Thompson's bond, Ingham County Assistant Prosecutor Jeff Cruz said Thompson is from Arizona, has no ties to the community and could try to flee the state.

"When he is free, he kills animals," Cruz told Ingham County Circuit Judge Paula Manderfield.

But Manderfield granted a request by Thompson's attorney, Stacia Buchanan, to reduce his bond amounts from $1 million to a total of $50,000.

Buchanan said afterward that she didn't know when Thompson, 24, would be able to post the $5,000 needed to be released from the Ingham County Jail, where he's been held since his arrest in June.

Thompson, who has been suspended from MSU's College of Osteopathic Medicine, is charged in two separate cases with 13 felony counts of animal killing or torture - all involving Italian greyhound puppies. He faces up to four years in prison. In each case, his bond is now $25,000.

District court judges in each of those cases had previously set Thompson's bond at $500,000.

Manderfield said during Wednesday's hearing that such a high bond was typically used in murder cases in which a defendant faces life in prison.

She also said the jail is full. Jail officials on Wednesday said they are not at capacity and there have been no overcrowding days during the past month.

Manderfield ordered Thompson, when he is free, to wear a GPS tether that can track his exact location, not to have pets and remain in his residence from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Thompson has arranged to live with a friend at an Okemos apartment complex, Buchanan said.

Thompson, who is from Arizona and is not allowed to leave the state, said in court that his parents will help him find a residence while the case is pending.

Authorities say Thompson killed the dogs between September 2010 and June. The dogs were purchased through breeder websites. Thompson told investigators in an interview that he killed the dogs out of anger. He said he would throw them to the ground or against a wall, grab them by the neck or beat them.

Ten of the dogs, according to prosecutors, were killed at an Okemos apartment where Thompson lived between about October 2010 and June.

Three others were killed or tortured at an East Lansing condo where he lived for about a month last September. Another was severely injured, according to court testimony.

Thompson has no adult or juvenile criminal record, Buchanan said during the hearing. He was seeing a psychiatrist when he was arrested and suffers from bipolar disorder, authorities have said.

Cruz said one of Thompson's former roommates, a witness in the case, told a psychiatrist that Thompson had threatened to kill or seriously harm her. That was then reported to authorities. Buchanan said that alleged threat surfaced last year, before the case existed.

Source: lansingstatejournal.com - Sep. 28, 2011
Update posted on Sep 29, 2011 - 2:52PM

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Angry that his puppy, Dolce, defecated on his bedroom floor, graduate student Andrew David Thompson forced the dog's nose in the feces and smacked it until it died, Ingham County Animal Control Deputy Jodi LeBombard said in court Thursday.

Dolce was one of 10 dogs Thompson allegedly killed in his Okemos apartment since about December 2010, LeBombard said in court.

Thompson faces 13 charges of animal killing in East Lansing and Meridian Township.

All the dogs were Italian greyhounds.

Testimony by LeBombard helped Judge Donald Allen decide to bind the case over to circuit court Thursday. Thompson will stand trial for the alleged killings.

Thompson killed another dog, a puppy named Bently, by throwing it against the wall after it urinated on his bed, LeBombard said in court.

In his frustration and anger, Thompson would punish his dogs and go too far - killing the dogs, graduate student Robert Albers said in court.

Albers considered himself Thompson's friend.

The two were classmates in the College of Osteopathic Medicine and worked out together, Albers said.

The alleged killings turned into a "vicious cycle that (Thompson) just couldn't get out of," Albers said.

"He said it was almost a relief all this had happened, and it felt like a weight off his shoulders," he said. "I believe he described himself as actually being happy about it."

Thompson looked down and sat almost motionless during LeBombard and Albers' testimonies.

Investigators could not locate any of the dogs' dead bodies, but LeBombard found an injured dog in Thompson's closet during a search of his apartment June 21.

The dog, Chloe, was bruised and defecated blood before it was taken to a vet, according to court documents.

Veterinary student Chelsea Grimes - Thompson's former roommate from his condominium in East Lansing - previously testified that she suspected he was abusing his Italian greyhound puppies while he lived with her in October 2010.

She did not notify police or animal control because she was threatened by Thompson.

Thompson faces four years in jail and up to $20,000 in fines.

He also faces expulsion from the College of Osteopathic Medicine and could be barred from practicing medicine in Michigan, Dean William Strampel said.

Thompson was suspended from the College of Osteopathic Medicine June 23 because of the allegations.

His suspension from the college took an emotional toll on Thompson, LeBombard said in previous testimony.

"He said that was, you know, everything to him," LeBombard said in the testimony. "He's worked really hard for that and … (his therapist) was concerned that he would harm himself."

Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Jeff Cruz said he had reason to believe Thompson will not be readmitted to the college, but declined further details.

Thompson also made suicide threats in relation to his legal investigation, prosecutors indicated in a court document.

Allen increased Thompson's bond for the Meridian Township charges to $500,000, raising his total bond for both jurisdictions to $1 million.

He is being held in the Ingham County Jail.

Thompson's arraignment with Ingham County's 30th Circuit Court is scheduled for Aug. 17, although he waived his right to an arraignment in court Thursday.

Source: statenews.com - Aug 7, 2011
Update posted on Sep 9, 2011 - 12:43PM

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Prosecutors requested the bond for the alleged dog killer to be raised to a total of $1 million in court Thursday because of previous threats of violence to witnesses he made, among other things, Ingham County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Lisa McCormick said.

Graduate student Andrew David Thompson's lack of ties to the community after his suspension from the College of Osteopathic Medicine and the nature of the 13 counts of animal killing he faces also influenced the prosecution's request, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Jeff Cruz said.

Judge Donald Allen of the 55th District Court denied raising the bond an additional $400,000 from the original $100,000 for the 10 counts of dog killing he faces in that jurisdiction.

Thompson also has a $500,000 bond in East Lansing's 54-B District Court for three additional charges of animal killing, which allegedly occurred in a condo on 220 M.A.C. Ave. He currently is being held in the Ingham County Jail.

"I think that the fact he's still in custody with regard to the other charges �" where there's a ($500,000) bond �" as well as the bond here of $100,000, that he's probably going to be remaining in custody," Allen said in court.

Thompson's attorney, Kimberly Savage, said the possibility he will be reinstated at the College of Osteopathic Medicine, his continued lease on his apartment in Okemos and his friends in the community were reason enough for Thompson to remain in the area.

If Thompson is able to pay his $500,000 bond in East Lansing in the future, Allen is willing to consider raising his bond, Allen said.

After delaying his pretrial and preliminary examination in East Lansing on Tuesday, Thompson also waived his right to a preliminary examination within 14 days of his arraignment in the 55th District Court on Thursday.

His pretrial in the 55th District Court was rescheduled to Aug. 2 and his preliminary examination was rescheduled to Aug. 4.

In East Lansing's 54-B District Court, Thompson's pretrial is set to be held July 26 and his preliminary examination is set for July 29.

Source: statenews.com - Jul 7, 2011
Update posted on Jul 10, 2011 - 12:06AM

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A Michigan State University osteopathic medicine student suspended after he was charged with killing 13 dogs expects to be reinstated, his attorney said today.

Attorney Kimberly Savage made that comment during a brief hearing this morning in 55th District Court. She was not immediately available for comment after the hearing.

Andrew David Thompson, 24, who authorities say has admitted killing 13 Italian greyhounds since September 2010, waived his right to hold a preliminary hearing within 14 days. That hearing, now scheduled for Aug. 4, will determine if there is enough evidence for a trial.

Thompson, who wore a dark green jail uniform, said he understood the charges against him. He answered Judge Donald Allen's questions in a deep, strong voice.

Savage said Thompson has no adult or juvenile criminal record. Although he is from Arizona and previously lived in Goodyear, Ariz, Savage said in court he has local ties and "a network of friends in the community."

Source: lansingstatejournal.com - Jul 7, 2011
Update posted on Jul 9, 2011 - 11:04PM

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Andrew David Thompson told investigators he killed more than a dozen dogs out of anger, according to court transcripts obtained by the Lansing State Journal.

The 24-year-old Michigan State University osteopathic medicine student said he would throw them to the ground or against a wall, grab them by the neck or beat them. All were small, Italian greyhounds.

"He (said) that he has killed every single one of these dogs except for two," Ingham County Animal Control Deputy Jodi LeBombard testified at a June 24 hearing in 55th District Court that led to charges being filed against Thompson. He is charged with killing 13 dogs since September 2010.

After killing one of the Italian greyhounds, Thompson "kind of freaked out," LeBombard said.

Typically, he'd put a deceased dog in a garbage bag, along with its clothes, collars and other items, LeBombard testified.

"He would cry all the way to the Dumpster, and throw it in the Dumpster," she said.

Thompson faces 10 felony counts of animal killing in 55th District Court in Mason and three additional counts of animal killing in East Lansing's 54B District Court. The charges are punishable by up to four years in prison. He is being held at the Ingham County Jail on a $500,000 bond in the East Lansing case and a $100,000 bond in the Mason case.

His attorney, Kimberly Savage, did not return telephone or email messages seeking comment Tuesday.

Thompson also is charged in 55th District Court with a misdemeanor count of animal neglect because at least one of the dogs, although severely injured, survived.

Officials said Thompson bought the Italian greyhounds, a small breed that typically weighs 7 to 14 pounds. It's not clear based on court transcripts how old the dogs were, but LeBombard occasionally refers to them as puppies. Officials have not said where he purchased them.

Anonymous tip

Authorities say the 13 dogs were killed at Thompson's Okemos apartment or at an East Lansing complex across the street from MSU's campus beginning in September 2010.

MSU's College of Osteopathic Medicine suspended Thompson on June 23, officials said, in light of the accusations against him. Charges were authorized the next day.

Thompson was seeing a psychiatrist, the transcripts say. The psychiatrist expressed concern that Thompson might be a suicide risk.

According to court transcripts, Animal Control received an anonymous complaint on June 14 that Thompson owned numerous puppies during the past year and they were disappearing.

Several days later, investigators searched Thompson's Okemos apartment and found a severely injured puppy in the closet. They immediately rushed it to a veterinary hospital. The badly bruised dog was suffering from internal bleeding, the transcripts say.

Authorities also found evidence Thompson bought the dogs from outside Michigan and had them transported via airplane in carriers. Thompson previously lived in Goodyear, Ariz., university records show.

His roommate at the Okemos apartment, according to the transcripts, said he lost count of the number of dogs that died or disappeared.

'He got frustrated'

In a June 22 interview, Thompson told LeBombard he killed the dogs out of frustration or anger because they defecated on his floor, urinated in his bed or wouldn't come to him when he called them.

"And he got frustrated they didn't want to stay with him," LeBombard said, according to transcripts. "And that made him upset."

Source: lansingstatejournal.com - Jul 5, 2011
Update posted on Jul 9, 2011 - 11:01PM

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Serial dog killer arrestedOkemos, MI (US)

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Serial dog killer arrested
Okemos, MI (US)