Today, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that Joseph Russo, age 25, of Manahawkin was sentenced on Friday, November 2, 2018, to 90 days in the Ocean County Jail as a condition of five years of probation in conjunction with his guilty plea to killing a three year old Pomeranian, named Diesel. Diesel was in training to be a certified service/therapy dog for his owner, Abigail Russel, who is a Navy veteran.
On June 4, 2018, Russo pled guilty to Indictment 18-02-317 indicating that Russo “did purposely, knowingly or recklessly torment, torture, maim, unnecessarily or cruelly beat, cruelly abuse or needlessly mutilate a companion dog, by the name of Diesel, a living animal, causing said dog to suffer serious bodily injury and die as a result of said actions.” As additional conditions of the sentence, Russo will be required to complete 30 hours of community service, complete anger management and be prohibited from owning or working with animals during the period of his probation.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Kimberly Carr under “Patrick’s Law” that, in 2013, increased penalties for abused, neglected and/or tortured animals. “Patrick’s Law” was named after an emaciated pit bull, Patrick, found after being thrown down a trash chute.
Disgusting ? I would give him a year in the slammer.
Why isn’t he in prison?!?!
Because this states animal cruelty laws are a horrible joke. Most outcomes are equivalent to a disorderly persons conviction.
People become outraged at the reporting of these crimes but then as does everything it fades & no one takes up the cause for making the charges more impactful. Personally I’ll never understand why its not equivalent to murder of a human. It should be.
Victoria Cambridge it should be equivalent to murder of a human.
They are murdering life
Usually a dog’s life is much shorter than a humans, that should be considered too.
I have to wonder if the light sentence had anything to do with our new prosecutor Murphy appointed.
That’s it 90 days in ocean county jail .needs to be longer and prison
What a piece of shit he needs to have his privileges of ever owning an animal taken away forever! He is a disgusting human being for doing that to a poor innocent dog!!
What right does this POS think he has to kill an animal?! Makes me sick