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Keenan Castro, age 23, of Brentwood, was indicted on numerous felony charges including aggravated cruelty to animals on Thursday, June 24, said Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy D. Sini.
On Sunday, May 9, Castro found a Chihuahua-Dachshund mix named Donny that had escaped from a Central Islip home, the DA's office said.
After keeping the dog for nearly one month, on Tuesday, June 1, Castro was on a FaceTime video call with four of his family members, including three children, when he allegedly strangled and killed the dog.
During the call, and in subsequent calls and text messages, Castro allegedly threatened family members not to report the incident to law enforcement.
Castro also allegedly threatened a family member via text messages that he would strangle her like he did the dog.
Police officers and detectives from the Suffolk County Police Department conducted an investigation and recovered the dog’s remains at a waste transfer facility in Holbrook on Friday, June 4.
A preliminary necropsy was conducted, which revealed manual strangulation, skull fracture, and brain contusions as contributing factors to the cause of death.
Castro was remanded to jail pending results of a competency evaluation. He is due back in court in July.
If convicted of the top count, Castro faces a maximum sentence of two to seven years in prison.
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