After confessing to beating a puppy to death, a Schenectady man is anticipated to serve two years in prison.
Elijah Lewis, 25, entered a guilty plea to aggravated animal abuse in Schenectady County Court on Monday. The Schenectady County District Attorney’s Office claims that Lewis badly hit a 4-month-old Chihuahua mix puppy named Spot, necessitating its euthanasia.
According to the prosecution, the event took place in a Schenectady home on October 5. Investigators found that Lewis’s former intimate partner, the dog’s owner, suffered from jealousy. With serious injuries to its head, chest, and lungs, Spot was sent to Capital District Veterinary Referral Hospital, located at 222 Troy Schenectady Road in Latham. Due to the dog’s catastrophic brain injury, the hospital personnel made the decision to put the puppy down. That same day, Lewis was taken into custody.
Lewis also faced three charges of endangering the welfare of a child and criminal mischief, but those charges were dismissed as part of the plea agreement. In addition, he will have to pay back the expense of the dog’s life-saving measures and be prohibited from owning or having any pets for a hundred years.
Lewis’ sentencing is set on February 3.
For beating this small puppy to death out of resentment toward its owner—a lady he had dated—Mr. Lewis ought to receive the greatest punishment possible. Robert Carney, the district attorney for Schenectady County, stated in a statement that a guy who is capable of such wanton cruelty is harmful to everyone. I want to express my gratitude to the first responders and vets who attempted to save Spot’s life, even if their efforts were unsuccessful. I also want to thank the Cornell specialists who provided the evidence needed to bring this case.