A 20-year-old man has been charged with animal cruelty, accused of slashing the throats of six puppies, killing five of them. Brannon Chandler was arrested Thursday, Jan 20, after police say he slit the throats of all six dogs late the night before with a buck knife they found in his bedroom.
The puppies belonged to the owners of a home where Chandler is a house guest, Capt. Paul Beres said.
When police interviewed him at about 1:30 a.m. Thursday, Chandler told them he "sent the puppies to heaven."
Chandler was angry that his friends wouldn't let him have a dog because he couldn't care for it, according to Animal Control Office Joe LaRovera.
"He said, `If I can't have them nobody will have them,"' LaRovera said.
LaRovera and the surviving puppy's owner rushed it to Shoreline Animal Emergency Clinic in Stratford. Chandler was held on $50,000 bond at Bridgeport Correctional Center. He is to appear Feb. 3 in Derby Superior Court.
The wounding may have damaged Amazing Grace's larynx, Michael said, and the vets want to watch that injury. It could be several weeks, she added, before the full extent of the pup's injuries are known.
A Seymour police officer found a wire basket about 300 feet into woods behind the house where Chandler and the roommate lived, the puppies inside it. Amazing Grace, so named by Seymour Veterinary Hospital staffers who attended her, was on top.
Seymour Police Capt. Paul Beres disputes other reports that Chandler attacked the puppies in response to the roommate's refusal to sell him one of them. "We're still looking into what the motivation was for Mr. Chandler to do this act," Beres said. "I've got a few officers still working on this case. It's not case closed because of the nature of the incident."
He said the hospital's staff filled three notebook pages with names and telephone numbers of people wanting information, that Town Hall workers took calls and that his pager went off all day with numbers.
He said he will not know how much people donated to the pup's care, because mail sent Friday won't arrive at Town Hall or be opened until Monday.
To donate to defray the cost of Amazing Grace's care, mail checks to Town of Seymour Animal Control, 1 First St., Seymour 06483. Steven Valenti / Republican-American Amazing Grace is the only one of six puppies to survive an attack in Seymour on Thursday. Case UpdatesGrace, the year-old Labrador retriever/pit bull mix puppy, who was the sole survivor of a brutal attack in January that severely injured her and killed five of her littermates, has come a long way from that deadly experience.
She's found a home, a family and a new playmate, as well as lots of love, affection and Christmas cookies. Grace was adopted by Seymour dog warden Joe LaRovera and his family, and has adapted well to her new environment. She's spending her first Christmas with her new family. "She's doing wonderful," said Dianne LaRovera. "She's the perfect puppy. She's wonderful with the kids, great with us, and just the sweetest dog. In fact, I catch her jumping up on the counter all the time and trying to sneak Christmas cookies. She's stealing cookies left and right.
"Grace has bonded with the LaRovera's other dog, a 2-year-old beagle named Lacie, and the two can often be found bounding around the family's fenced-in yard. Grace, who just celebrated her first birthday -- with cupcakes and love -- enjoys the attention lavished on her. People have responded in amazing ways, LaRovera said, and the kindness shown has been incredible.
"People keep calling us, sending cards and money in the mail," she said. "What I do is buy her something or have her nails clipped and then mail the receipts to the people who sent us money so they know their love is being used on Gracie.
"There's one woman in particular I wanted to thank, but with the hectic season, I lost her address. Her name is Charmaine, and she's from Milford. She's sent so many things for Gracie -- sweaters, scarfs, and handmade stockings for Lacie and Gracie. I want to thank her so much, but I can't find out how to get in touch with her. I hope she sees this and responds to me." | Source: Republican American - December 26, 2005
Update posted on Dec 26, 2005 - 11:29AM |
Saying that he killed five puppies because they were living in squalid conditions, Brannon Chandler was sentenced Monday in an animal cruelty case that attracted widespread attention and protests from animal rights groups.Chandler's five-year prison sentence is suspended after two years and followed by three years probation, terms reached in an August plea bargain in which he pleaded guilty to six counts of animal cruelty. Chandler, 20, slit the throats of his roommates' six puppies on Jan. 19.
One of the dogs, later named Amazing Grace, survived and is now in the care of Seymour's dog warden.Chandler will be credited for the 10 months he has already served behind bars and he potentially qualifies for transitional supervision, a state Department of Correction program that could have Chandler out of jail by January, according to Public Defender Jonathan Gable. While Gable asked for a reduced sentence Monday, Superior Court Judge Patrick Carroll denied the request, saying that the pre-sentence investigation report did not show Chandler expressing remorse.
At Monday's sentencing hearing at Derby Superior Court, Chandler appeared erratic as he explained how his roommate kept the pets in filthy conditions, neglecting to feed them and allowing the parental dogs to bite at the puppies. At one point, Gable tugged on his client's hand to stop him from rambling and instead deliver a succinct apology. Dayle Coutu, an animal rescuer from Colchester who watched Monday's hearing, said she didn't accept Chandler's explanation."He contradicted himself. He claimed he was remorseful. Then he said it was a mercy killing," Coutu said outside the courthouse.
Carroll ordered that Chandler receive substance abuse testing and treatment and psychological treatment as a condition of his probation. Chandler is also prohibited from owning pets and from contacting the late puppies' owner, Shannon Colvin. Assistant State's Attorney Paul Gaetano told Judge Carroll that Colvin had complained that she was harassed by the media and by investigators with the public defenders office. Gable said he took "extreme umbrage" at the accusation."Nothing could be further from the truth," Gable said, adding that the only time he interviewed Colvin was while she was in court fighting a charge that her dogs, the parents of the slain puppies, had mauled a neighbor's Pomeranian. | Source: Connecticut Post - Oct 25, 2005
Update posted on Oct 25, 2005 - 8:38AM |
Brannon Chandler, accused in January of slashing the throats of six mixed-breed puppies and leaving them to die in the freezing woods off Skokorat Street in Seymour, pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges Monday and faces two years in prison.
Chandler, formerly of Skokorat St., had faced up to 30 years in prison, but will receive a two year sentence with three years probation as part of a plea bargain in Superior Court in Derby. He will be sentenced Oct. 24.
Judge Patrick Carroll said he will likely tack on required substance abuse counseling and anger management. Chandler will receive credit for time spent incarcerated since his Jan. 20 arrest after failing to post $50,000 bail.
In June, a court-appointed psychiatrist testified that Chandler suffers from auditory hallucinations. Carroll declared him unfit to stand trial and ordered that he be committed to a state psychiatric hospital for evaluation and possible medication.
Since then, Chandler's public defender, Jon Gable, said Chandler has a "much better understanding of the charges and the penalties and options before him."
Chandler has gained noticeable weight since his June appearance, which Gable said could be a result of psychiatric medication, although he would not provide further details into his care.
Gable said Chandler will receive "some continuity of care" while incarcerated. "He has had a tough life, and I think he needs care. I do not see evil when I look into his eyes. He�s got his problems just like everybody else," Gable said.
Gable would not say whether he was pleased with the agreement. "It�s an offer that we took," he said. "This has been one of the most difficult things, but here we are," he said.
Gable said Chandler has been remorseful about his actions "since day one" and has maintained that he killed the puppies, which belonged to his roommate, Shannon Colvin, in an act of mercy. A week or two before the incident, Chandler had attempted to give the puppies away outside the Ocean State Job Lot in Seymour, Gable said.
"The conditions in the house were such that you wouldn�t want anyone to live there," Gable said. "He felt it was a mercy killing."
Only one puppy survived the slashing and has since made a near full recovery. Amazing Grace, as she was named for her miraculous recovery, is now living with Seymour dog warden Joe LaRovera and his family. Colvin signed over her rights to the puppy after the attack. | Source: New Haven Register - Aug 30, 3005
Update posted on Aug 30, 2005 - 8:17AM |
Following a doctor's testimony that Brannon Chandler could not think logically and heard voices inside his head, Superior Court Judge Patrick Carroll ruled Tuesday that the accused puppy killer could not assist in his own defense.
Carroll then ordered Chandler to 60 days of in-patient treatment at the Connecticut Valley Hospital in Middletown, which a psychiatrist, Dr. Charles Saldanha, testified could restore Chandler's fitness for trial.
Chandler, 20, will return to court Aug. 22 for another competency hearing.
Saldanha, a researcher at the Yale-New Haven Hospital Department of Psychiatry, summarized from the witness stand the findings of a one-on-one analysis he performed recently on Chandler.
"He became disorganized in conversation and illogical in discussing ways he could resolve his case," Saldanha said. "He seemed internally preoccupied. He seemed to be responding to things going on in his own mind, typical of auditory hallucinations."
Saldanha also related his interview with Chandler's mother, who said her son had first complained of hearing voices at a young age, a malady that she said had escalated since his incarceration after the January slaying of five puppies. Chandler faces six counts of cruelty to animals for allegedly cutting the throats of six Labrador mixes that belonged to his roommate at a Skokorat Street house in Seymour. Five of the puppies died. A sixth recovered and was later named Amazing Grace.
Chandler is being held in lieu of a bond at Garner Correctional Institution in Newtown, a state prison for the mentally ill.
Chandler's mother, Saldanha testified, also said her son had abused alcohol, marijuana and hallucinogenic drugs, and periodically behaved aggressively.
In reviewing the case file, Saldanha said Chandler had never received a mental health evaluation prior to his stay at Garner.
The doctor also testified that Chandler finished last in his high school class of 78 students. Chandler does have a superficial understanding of the charges against him and the nature of court proceedings, Saldanha testified. But under the stress of more detailed questions, Chandler could not think logically enough to participate in conversations with his defense attorney, Saldanha said.
A handful of animal rights activists returned to the Derby Green Tuesday, holding fluorescent signs demanding the maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $30,000 fine for Chandler. | Source: Connecticut Post - June 22, 2005
Update posted on Jun 28, 2005 - 7:47PM |
A Superior Court judge on Monday (May 16, 2005) ruled charges against a man accused of slitting the throats of six puppies should stand. The judge also permitted Brannon Chandler to undergo a psychological evaluation to determine whether he is competent to stand trial. Chandler faces six counts of cruelty to animals for the grisly slaying of five puppies that belonged to his roommate at a Skokorat Street house in Seymour. The sixth puppy recovered.
Taking a stand: Cheryl Conway of Bridgeport was one of about a dozen people who carried signs on Elizabeth Street next to the Derby Green on Monday as dog-killing suspect Brannon Chandler appeared in court. A judge refused to dismiss the charge. Chandler is accused of cutting the throats of six dogs, five of which died. (Jeff Bustraan) and was later named Amazing Grace by her veterinarian caregivers.
Outside the courthouse Monday, about a dozen animal activists held fluorescent signs and shouted chants calling for Chandler's conviction and sentencing to the maximum possible penalty � 30 years in jail and a $30,000 fine.
At a previous hearing, Chandler's attorney, Assistant Public Defender Jonathan Gable, said that the state had charged his client under the wrong statute. Gable argued that the state's attorney should have charged Chandler with killing a companion animal, a misdemeanor that carries less jail time than the felony charge of cruelty to animals. Gable said that the misdemeanor charge was more specific to Chandler's case because it defined animals as pets, whereas the felony statute defined animals to mean brute creatures. But in a three-page written decision, Superior Court Judge Patrick Carroll disagreed, ruling that distinction between the statutes does not lie with their definitions of animals, but in the conduct of the accused.
Under the charge of killing a companion animal, the state must show a defendant merely engaged in unlawful conduct, Carroll wrote. The felony, however, requires the state to prove that the defendant acted with malicious intent, the ruling stated. Carroll went on to argue that the choice of statute was up to the prosecution's discretion. "There is no reason for the court to interfere with the state's attorney's exercise of discretion in this matter," Carroll wrote.
In a separate motion filed Monday, Gable requested that Chandler undergo psychological testing to determine whether he is competent to understand the charges against him and assist in his own defense. Carroll granted the request and continued the case to June 21. Chandler is currently held in lieu of a $50,000 bond at Garner Correctional Institution in Newtown, the state's prison for mentally ill inmates. | Source: Connecticut Post - May 17, 2005
Update posted on May 17, 2005 - 11:04PM |
Brannon Chandler who has been accused of slashing the throats of six puppies has been put off again.
At issue are the specific charges against Brannon Chandler. The Derby Superior Court judge is expected to rule May 16 on Chandler's request to dismiss the charges against him and replace them with those that carry less prison time and lower fines.
Chandler's lawyer Monday argued that the charges against him be reduced from six counts of cruelty to animals to intentionally killing or injuring a companion animal.
The 20-year-old Chandler is accused of killing five puppies and severely wounding a sixth on Jan. 20 in the Seymour house where he rented a room.
The 6-week-old Labrador retriever mixes were his roommates' pets. The surviving puppy was named Amazing Grace by those who cared for her.
Chandler made his latest court appearance Monday. He's being held on $50,000 bond. | Source: turnto10.com - April 26, 2005
Update posted on Apr 26, 2005 - 7:07PM |
The case against Chandler was continued Monday after the state's attorney objected to the defendant's request for reduced charges. Brannon Chandler is charged with six counts of cruelty to animals in connection with slitting the throats of six puppies belonging to his roommate at a Skokorat Street house in Seymour.
While five of the Labrador mixed-breeds died, the sixth recovered and was later named Amazing Grace by her veterinarian caregivers. Chandler, held in lieu of $50,000 bond, appeared briefly next to his attorney, Deputy Assistant Public Defender Jonathan Gable. Dressed in orange prison garb, Chandler flashed a look of recognition to his family sitting in a front row as he was led from his holding cell. Last month, Gable filed a motion arguing that his client should not face the cruelty-to-animals charges, but with intentionally killing or injuring companion animals. Gable argued that animals, as defined in the cruelty-to animals statute, mean "brute creatures," not domesticated pets, such as dogs or cats, which are defined under the separate statute.
While the cruelty-to-animals charges each carry a maximum penalty of five years in jail and a $5,000 fine, Chandler would face a maximum of three years in jail and a $500 fine if the charges are changed to killing or injuring a companion animals. At Derby Superior Court Monday, the state's attorney filed an objection to Gable's motion and the case was continued to April 25. About a dozen protesters urging the maximum sentence for Chandler held signs outside the courthouse Monday. | Source: The Connecticut Post - April 19, 2005
Update posted on Apr 20, 2005 - 7:04PM |
Public defender Jon Gable wants charges against Chandler dismissed so that charges carrying a lighter penalty could be levied. Chandler is charged with six counts of animal cruelty. He is being held at Garner Correctional Institution in Newtown in lieu of $50,000 bail.
Gable said he believes Chandler was incorrectly charged with animal cruelty, and that his client should have been charged under a state statute that applies to anyone who allegedly injures or kills a companion animal. That charge carries a three-year maximum prison sentence while an animal cruelty charge carries a maximum of five years in prison.
Supervisory Assistant State�s Attorney Paul Gaetano will have until 2 p.m. April 13 to review Gable�s motion, Judge Patrick Carroll said.
During Monday�s hearing, Carroll again denied a defense appeal to waive Chandler�s appearance in court. Chandler stood with his hands crossed behind his back during the court proceedings and did not speak. As he exited the courtroom after less than two minutes before the judge, he turned to a woman seated in the public section and gave her a thumbs-up sign. The woman refused to speak to reporters or state her relationship to Chandler. | Source: New Haven Register - March 29, 2005
Update posted on Mar 29, 2005 - 1:08PM |
Accused puppy-killer Brannon Chandler's lawyer is seeking to change the charges against his client to those that carry a lighter sentence, based on the definition of "animal."
Chandler believes he should not be charged with six counts of cruelty to animals, each count of which carries a maximum five-year prison term and a $5,000 fine, but with intentionally killing or injuring a "companion animal."
The maximum sentence for killing or injuring six companion animals is three years in jail and a $500 fine, deputy assistant public defender Jonathan Gable wrote.
Chandler, 20, is accused of killing five puppies and severely wounding a sixth Jan. 20 at the Skokorat Street house where he rented a room. The 6-week-old Labrador mixes were his roommates' pets.
The surviving dog was named Amazing Grace by her caregivers; she spent 10 days in Cheshire Veterinary Hospital before her release in late January to Seymour's dog warden, Joe LaRovera.
Gable on Monday afternoon filed a motion in Derby Superior Court to dismiss the more serious charges. Chandler is due back in court next Monday.
Gable argues that the legislature defined "animal" in the "cruelty to animals" felony to mean "brute creatures."
The legislature created separate statutes, one for cruelty to animals, which it defines as "any brute creatures and birds," and another for companion animals, such as a "domesticated dog or cat that is normally kept in or near the household of its owner or keeper ..."
"The words are clear," Gable wrote. "The legislature has carved out a specific penalty for unlawfully killing or injuring an animal.
"The legislature intended to give companion animals a different status than that of the animals referred to in (the 'cruelty to animals') statute," he continued.
Gable included committee hearing testimony in 14 exhibits to support his motion. | Source: Waterbury Republican American - March 23, 2005
Update posted on Mar 25, 2005 - 4:14AM |
Brannon Chandler, 20, left a courtroom escorted by three marshals. Chandler's next court date is March 21.
Gable said after the hearing that he will file a motion to dismiss in the next few days, but would not say on what grounds.
Chandler is charged with six counts of animal cruelty, and because they are felony crimes, he faces up to 30 years in jail.
Seymour police stated he admitted to them that he "sent the puppies to heaven" on Jan. 19. They found the litter of Labrador retriever mixes in a wire basket in the snow, 300 feet behind the house where Chandler was paying rent.
Five of the 6-week-old puppies were found dead, with their throats slit. One puppy, later named Amazing Grace, survived the attack, and is recovering under the care of Seymour Dog Warden Joe LaRovera.
Chandler has been in Garner, a state prison in Newtown for mentally ill inmates, since shortly after his arrest.
He could be freed on a $50,000 bond. | Source: www.rep-am.com
Update posted on Mar 11, 2005 - 8:49PM |
| Chandler pleaded innocent in a court appearance in Derby February 3. He is due in court again March 7. | Source: Bristol Press
Update posted on Feb 8, 2005 - 8:08PM |
A massive protest is expected today outside Derby Superior Court where a Seymour man is scheduled to appear on charges of animal cruelty.
by News Channel 8's Tricia Taskey
Twenty-year old Brannon Chandler is accused of slitting six dogs' throats last month. Police found the puppies in a metal basket in the woods left to die. Five of the dogs died. Veterinarians named the surviving puppy "Amazing Grace."
Chandler's roommate owned the dogs and police say that he attacked the dogs because she wouldn't give him one of the puppies.
The activists are calling for the maximum sentence for Chandler. On a happier note, Amazing Grace was released from the animal hospital on Monday. | Source: WHTN - Feb 3, 2005
Update posted on Feb 3, 2005 - 4:47AM |
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