Dog fatally shot Niles, MI (US) Incident Date: Wednesday, Dec 8, 2004 County: Berrien Local Map: available Disposition: Convicted Abuser/Suspect: Kyle Luttrell Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

Case ID: 3405 Classification: Shooting Animal: dog (non pit-bull) View more cases in MI (US) Abuse was retaliation against animal's bad behavior Login to Watch this Case

A 14 year old boy's dog was killed when a neighbor allegedly led one of his family's two dogs out to his property, where he fatally shot the animal. Michigan State Police arrested the neighbor on Monday for the incident which occurred on Dec 8, after he allegedly confessed to tresspassing on the Carpenter family's property.

Police began their investigation Thursday, when they received a call the family's dog, named Buddy, had been slain.

Arraignment of the suspect is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. today in a Berrien County Fifth District Court in Niles. The suspect is being arraigned on charges of larceny and animal cruelty, the Carpenters said. Michigan State Police would not release the name of the suspect on Monday because he was yet to be arraigned. They would provide no other information about the case.

The suspect allegedly confessed to trespassing on the Carpenter's property in the late evening hours of Dec. 8, taking Buddy from his kennel, and leading him to a wooded area where the suspect tied Buddy to a tree and shot him several times with a shotgun.

The Carpenters first noticed Buddy was missing Dec. 8 when Becky Carpenter arrived home around midnight and Bear, Buddy's brother, met her at her van.

Knowing the dogs should be locked in the kennel behind the family's house and wondering where Buddy was, Becky called out for him, but got no response.

"Right there, I knew something was wrong," Becky said. Becky ran to the house to wake her husband, Dennis, and told him the dogs weren't in the kennel and something was wrong.

When the couple went to investigate the kennel, they discovered the gate on the north side of the kennel, facing away from their house, was open. The couple searched for Buddy until 3 a.m. before locking Bear in the kennel for the night and going to bed.

The morning of Dec. 9, Dennis took Bear out and searched for Buddy. Dennis and Bear walked west of the family's property toward the suspect's property. When they reached the property line, Bear stopped and wouldn't continue in the neighboring property.

"It was as if he were scared or he knew something bad was on that property," Dennis said Monday night.

Leaving Bear at the property line, Dennis continued westbound into the neighbor's property. After walking several hundred yards, Dennis said he found Buddy dead with gun shot wounds on his left side.

After discovering Buddy, Dennis returned to the house and contacted the Michigan State Police.

Trooper Christopher Pe�a met with Dennis and Becky before making contact with the suspect sometime Friday or Saturday, Dennis said. Saturday morning, Pe�a brought shotgun shells he had obtained from the suspect over to the Carpenter's house. It was also on Saturday when Pe�a informed the Carpenters of the suspect's confession.

Monday, Pe�a brought over a collar that belonged to Buddy, which the suspect allegedly had ordered his girlfriend to destroy. The collar was ripped, as if it had been torn from Buddy's neck, Becky said.

After tying Buddy to a tree, the suspect said he placed the shotgun at the back of Buddy's head and shot the dog. After Buddy had been shot, the suspect reloaded the shotgun and shot Buddy again, the second time, striking Buddy in his left side.

Through the entire case, the Carpenters said they were impressed with Pe�a's dedication to finding out how Buddy had died.

"He has absolutely been wonderful. He went way beyond the call of duty," Becky said. "We couldn't have had a better person to investigate this case."

In a police report released by the Michigan State Police this morning, the suspect was reported to have said he killed Buddy after discovering a dead kitten in his front yard either on Dec. 6 or 7.

The suspect believed Buddy to be responsible for the death because he allegedly saw Buddy attack and kill two of his barn kittens approximately four to five months ago.

To send a polite letter to the prosecutor urging her to vigorously prosecute Luttrell, write to:

Kelly Travis, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney
Berrien County Prosecuting Attorney�s Office
811 Port St.
St. Joseph, MI 49085

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References

	Niles Daily Star - Dec 14, 2004
	PETA Action Alerts
	South Bend Tribune

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