Found this article posted. Definately a step in the right direction!!
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Man Guilty in Road Rage Dog Death
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - A man was found guilty Tuesday of animal cruelty for tossing a small dog to its death on a busy highway.
The jury took less than an hour to convict Andrew Burnett of the felony cruelty count. Burnett, 27, could face up to three years in prison in the killing of Leo, a bichon frise, in the highly publicized road rage incident.
Closing arguments wrapped up Monday, without Burnett ever taking the stand in his own defense.
Sara McBurnett, a real estate agent from Incline Village, Nev., said that after a minor traffic accident in February 2000 the defendant yelled at her, reached in through her open car window with both arms and grabbed her dog. Soon after, she spotted Leo running across two lanes of traffic, and the dog was struck and killed seconds later.
`He was running terrified. I could tell by his eyes,'' she testified earlier this month. ``They just ran right over him in front of me.''
News reports about the incident spurred outrage among animal lovers. In his closing argument, prosecutor Troy Benson asked the jury to hold Burnett criminally accountable for the dog's death.
``It's just an angry man who did a grossly negligent act by throwing this dog into traffic,'' Benson told the jury.
Burnett's attorney maintained that his client instinctively snatched the dog from the car after being bitten on the hand.
McBurnett, a real estate agent from Incline Village, Nev., said that after a minor traffic accident the defendant yelled at her, reached in through her open car window with both arms and
grabbed her dog. Soon after, she spotted Leo running across two lanes of traffic, and the dog was struck and killed seconds later.
``What was he thinking when he reached into the car and grabbed that dog?'' Benson said in closing statements Monday.
Defense lawyer Marc Garcia urged the jury to closely consider the requirement of finding gross negligence. He said the case a decision to find his client guilty of a felony should not be taken lightly.
`This isn't a game. This is real lives, real people,'' Garcia said.
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Man Guilty in Road Rage Dog Death
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - A man was found guilty Tuesday of animal cruelty for tossing a small dog to its death on a busy highway.
The jury took less than an hour to convict Andrew Burnett of the felony cruelty count. Burnett, 27, could face up to three years in prison in the killing of Leo, a bichon frise, in the highly publicized road rage incident.
Closing arguments wrapped up Monday, without Burnett ever taking the stand in his own defense.
Sara McBurnett, a real estate agent from Incline Village, Nev., said that after a minor traffic accident in February 2000 the defendant yelled at her, reached in through her open car window with both arms and grabbed her dog. Soon after, she spotted Leo running across two lanes of traffic, and the dog was struck and killed seconds later.
`He was running terrified. I could tell by his eyes,'' she testified earlier this month. ``They just ran right over him in front of me.''
News reports about the incident spurred outrage among animal lovers. In his closing argument, prosecutor Troy Benson asked the jury to hold Burnett criminally accountable for the dog's death.
``It's just an angry man who did a grossly negligent act by throwing this dog into traffic,'' Benson told the jury.
Burnett's attorney maintained that his client instinctively snatched the dog from the car after being bitten on the hand.
McBurnett, a real estate agent from Incline Village, Nev., said that after a minor traffic accident the defendant yelled at her, reached in through her open car window with both arms and
grabbed her dog. Soon after, she spotted Leo running across two lanes of traffic, and the dog was struck and killed seconds later.
``What was he thinking when he reached into the car and grabbed that dog?'' Benson said in closing statements Monday.
Defense lawyer Marc Garcia urged the jury to closely consider the requirement of finding gross negligence. He said the case a decision to find his client guilty of a felony should not be taken lightly.
`This isn't a game. This is real lives, real people,'' Garcia said.
