Dog kicked and beaten, slashed open
El Paso, TX (US)Incident Date: Friday, Jul 16, 1976
County: El Paso
Disposition: Dismissed
Person of Interest: Robert Cushing
According to a police report from July 19th, 1976, City Representative Robert Cushing went to the apartment of his then girlfriend, now wife, Elza Echaniz and forced his way in. Echaniz told police Cushing was drunk, grabbed her by the neck and told her he was going to kill her dog.
Details in the report say that Cushing found the dog in a closet and began kicking and beating the medium-sized Mexican Hairless. Miss Echaniz, fearing for her life, left the apartment and called for help. When officers arrived, Mr. Cushing was gone.
Police entered the apartment and found the dog lying in a pool of blood with cuts and bruises all over its body. Officers reported a long cut across the dog's stomach where its bowels had spilled onto the floor. There were also large amounts of blood all over the walls and closet.
According to the report, the dog was dead on arrival at the Animal Emergency Center. A veterinarian on duty said the animal had suffered numerous stab wounds and broken bones and confirmed the intestines were hanging from its stomach.
Meanwhile, officers tracked Mr.Cushing down at his apartment. They say he had blood on his pants and boots and had scratches and what appeared to be bite marks on his hands. He was arrested and charged with Animal Cruelty.
In April 2005, a news station asked Mr. Cushing about the incident. At that time, he claimed it was a case of self defense. The date of this incident -- july 1976 -- is about a year and-a-half after Mr. Cushing is alleged to have beaten another girlfriend and threatened her with a gun.
As for the outcome of the Animal Cruelty case, it was dismissed. According to the County Attorney's Office, the future Mrs. Cushing refused to testify. References |
