Two years ain't enough
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Powhatan woman who killed ex-boyfriend's puppy by hanging it from tree sentenced to 2 years
A Powhatan County woman who killed her former boyfriend's 10-month-old pit bull puppy by hanging it from a tree with an extension chord was sentenced Thursday to serve two years in prison.
In sentencing Yasmine Burton on her conviction of torturing an animal and causing its death, Powhatan Circuit Court Judge Paul Cella indicated that Burton did not seem to be a particularly mean person and noted her lack of a criminal record. However, the judge said the dog she killed, named Choppo, "suffered and died for no reason."
Cella sentenced Burton, 23, to five years in prison with three years suspended, giving her two years to serve. The judge also ordered that Burton have no contact with any companion animals after her release.
“The defendant’s action in killing a 10-month-old puppy clearly manifests malice," said Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Robert Cerullo, who prosecuted the case. "But the way she did it by hanging the poor creature with an extension cord and watching as it struggled ... shows a cruelty that even as a prosecutor for 15 years and a police officer for 10 before that, I have rarely seen."
