Contact: Nathan Lederman 508-584-8120
PLYMOUTH – A Kingston man pleaded guilty to charges related to victimizing and fatally stabbing his dog, Kingston Police Chief Brian Holmes and Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz have announced.
Jonathan Paluzzi, 45, was sentenced to five to seven years of incarceration in state prison Thursday after pleading guilty in Plymouth Superior Court to two counts each of animal cruelty and intimidation of a witness. Under Massachusetts law, seven years of incarceration is the maximum penalty for a charge of animal cruelty.
Paluzzi was accused of giving his bull terrier, “Brutus,” fentanyl on January 31 with the intention of killing the dog. The defendant fatally stabbed Brutus once he realized the terrier had not succumbed to a drug overdose. Investigators determined Paluzzi had previously sought to have Brutus euthanized via veterinary means, but animal care centers refused due to the dog being in relatively good health.
Brutus’ body was taken to the MSPCA-Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston for postmortem examination. Subsequent testing at the Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory in Lakeville confirmed Brutus had fentanyl in his system during the incident.
Assistant District Attorney James Duffy prosecuted this case, which was investigated by the Kingston Police Department and the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office.