NEW YORK, NY – A man from the Bronx has been indicted on a charge of Aggravated Cruelty to Animals for allegedly killing his ex-girlfriend’s Pomeranian dog during an argument.
The Bronx District Attorney, Darcel D. Clark, called the act a “spectacularly brutal act of animal abuse.”
Victor Castillo, 32, was arraigned on Wednesday before Bronx Supreme Court Justice Guy Mitchell. The defendant is accused of causing multiple fractures to the 7-year-old dog’s head, killing him instantly. The incident allegedly took place on February 9, 2023, during an argument with his ex-girlfriend at her apartment on Arthur Avenue.
Castillo allegedly picked up the 9 1/2-pound Pomeranian by the neck and slammed his head onto a wooden coffee table, causing blood to splatter around the room.
A post-mortem examination by the A.S.P.C.A. found that the dog had multiple skull fractures and lacerations to his brain, which caused his death. Castillo is due back in court on May 4, 2023.
