NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – A Long Island man was sentenced to prison for beating his aunt's dog to death in 2022, prosecutors announced on Monday.
Peter Minichello, 22, of West Islip, was sentenced to jail followed and received a lifetime ban on owning animals after pleading guilty to beating his aunt's five-year-old Chihuahua-mix dog named "Pup-Pup," resulting in severe physical injuries that caused its death, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced.
"What this defendant put an innocent animal through is as shocking as it is deplorable," Tierney said. "A dog's love is unconditional, and my heart goes out to the defendant's aunt who lost a beloved companion."
On July 6, 2022, Minichello was home alone with Pup-Pup while his mother and aunt were at work, according to court documents. When Minichello's aunt came back home, she found Pup-Pup inside of his crate, not moving and covered in blood and bruises.
Pup-Pup died a couple of days later, prosecutors said.
An investigation found that Pup-Pup had extensive injuries including multiple broken ribs, blunt force trauma to the head and body, and a penetrating wound to the elbow. It was determined that he died due to a traumatic brain injury.
Two years later on June 13, Minichello pleaded guilty to all of the charges contained within the indictment, including aggravated cruelty to animals and criminal mischief in the third degree.
He was sentenced to four months in jail followed by five years of probation. He was also banned from owning or possessing any animals for the rest of his life.
