Pit bull stabbed to death
Philadelphia, PA (US)

Incident Date: Tuesday, Jan 3, 2012
County: Philadelphia

Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: Rasheed Banton

Greed led a 34-year-old man to allegedly stab his cousin's 6-year-old pit bull to death after an argument Tuesday night in Overbrook, police said early Wednesday morning.

Rasheed Banton, 34, of West Philadelphia, was involved in an ongoing argument with his cousin over evenly splitting the profits from a litter of pit bull puppies the two sold on the street, police said.

Banton allegedly came to his uncle's house on 55th Street near Jefferson Tuesday night, where the dog - named Momus - along with a second pit bull were being housed.

Police said Momus gave birth to six puppies in September, and the cousins sold them on the street for between $75 and $100 each.

Again, Banton got into an argument with his cousin over evenly splitting the money, police said. The man's cousin, whose identity has not been released, is also in his 30s, police said.

After the argument, Banton allegedly went into the back yard and chained his cousin's dog to a pole, said Lt. John Walker, commanding officer of the Southwest Detective Division.

In the back yard, Banton allegedly used a large knife to stab Momus at least six times throughout her torso, according to PSPCA officials.

Momus yelped and whined until she bled to death, tied to a pole while the temperature hovered around 20 degrees, police said.

"It makes no sense at all - you can't rationalize it at all," Walker said early Wednesday morning. "Obviously, greed has overtaken the mind of the person who killed the dog."

When cops arrived, they found Banton covered in the dog's blood, said Wendy Marano, a PSPCA spokeswoman, adding that police found the bloody knife in Banton's car.

Police called the PSPCA to remove Momus and a second pit bull from the property.

The second dog appeared to be unhealthy, and would have to be evaluated by a veterinarian, Marano said.

Before being stabbed to death, Momus gave birth to four litters of puppies in her lifetime, police said.

It is likely that the dog's sole purpose for the men was breeding puppies they could sell for profit, Walker said.

Banton, of 55th Street near Thompson in West Philadelphia, was arrested on charges of animal cruelty and possession of an instrument of crime, Walker said.

References

• « PA State Animal Cruelty Map
  « More cases in Philadelphia County, PA

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