20-year-old Jyashua Hill will serve 5 years in prison without parole after he tied a pit bull to a fence and covered it in lighter fluid before setting the animal on fire.
Authorities announced that the sentence was part of his plea agreement.
The dog was found and treated by Richmond Animal Care and Control. The shelter posted a photo of the dog they named Tommie covered in casts and bandages while hugging a stuffed animal.
Unfortunately, he passed away five days later.
The case brought in donations for the shelter and prompted widespread outrage.
Hill is also barred from possessing or owning animals for life. Officers will keep on checking his address once he is released to make sure no animals are living there.
Prosecutor Denise Anderson said after the hearing: “It’s a victory for animal rights activists and Tommie’s memory.”
Hill initially claimed he ‘blacked out’ and got angry after the dog bit his daughter.
“The dog attacked my daughter and I snapped. I did what I had to do to protect my kids from the dog,” he said to WTVR. “The dog was too vicious to be around other dogs.”
Hill said he blacked out due to his bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and insisted that he wasn’t under the influence of alcohol or drugs what the incident happened.
Anderson said Hill’s way of torturing the animal was caught on camera. “He was dragging and jerking the dog by its leash,” Anderson said in court. “He was yelling things like, ‘You’ll get yours.’”
“While the defendant fled on foot, the dog ran in circles trying to escape its agony.”
After the hearing, Anderson told Richmond: “This particular case is the epitome of cruelty. If any case warranted five years, this is it.”
Rest in peace, Tommie…
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