FREEHOLD, NJ – A grand jury in Monmouth County indicted an Asbury park man who killed his girlfriend’s poodle last year.
According to Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago, Nicholas C. Winter, 36, was charged with third-degree Animal Cruelty Resulting in Death.
Court records show that shortly before 4 a.m. on Saturday, June 4, 2022, members of the Asbury Park Police Department responded to a residence on the 1400 block of Locust Drive on a report by an adult female that her boyfriend had killed her dog.
“Inside the residence, the responding officers located the deceased dog, a 12-year-old male named “Bentley.” The victim’s other dog, a 14-year-old female named “Sophia,” was reported missing, but found in the area several hours later,” Santiago said today.
A joint investigation between the Asbury Park Police Department and the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals determined Winters texted his girlfriend numerous times, threatening her dogs while she was at work.
Santiago said a necropsy performed on Bentley determined that he died due to blunt-force head, neck, and body trauma that ultimately resulted in a fatal traumatic brain injury. Winter was arrested and charged later in June 2022.