A Massachusetts man pleaded guilty to giving his dog fentanyl before stabbing the animal to death earlier this year.
Jonathan Paluzzi, 45, of Kingston, received a sentence of five to seven years in state prison after entering a guilty plea to two counts each of animal cruelty and witness intimidation, the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office said Friday.
Paluzzi was arrested on Jan. 31 after a 911 call to his Kingston Collection Way apartment. A caller reported hearing noises including shuffling and a dog whining, followed by silence.
Police found the body of Paluzzi's dog, a 60-pound bull-terrier mix named Brutus, with stab wounds.
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Paluzzi was initially charged with animal cruelty and possession of a Class A drug.
Authorities said that Paluzzi had tried to have Brutus euthanized by a veterinarian, but that animal care centers refused to do so because the dog was healthy.
He then tried to poison Brutus by giving him fentanyl. When this also failed to kill the dog, authorities say Paluzzi fatally stabbed him with a set of bent grill prongs.
Paluzzi's parents told NBC10 Boston after his arrest that he loved Brutus and tried to give the animal up because he was trying to go into rehab.
"They were joined at the hip," Paul Paluzzi, John's father, said Tuesday about his son and Brutus. "Anytime my son would leave to go out or have a smoke or he put down his dog food, he wouldn't touch it until John came back."
His mother, Janice Paluzzi, said he wanted to combat his drug addiction, but realized his parents couldn't take care of the dog on their own.
"'I'm sick and tired of getting high, taking advantage of you guys, and feeling like this,' and he said, 'So I'll have to put Brutus down,'" she said.
Paluzzi's parents said he was high on fentanyl when he killed the animal, and that they're praying he gets the help he needs.
Prosecutors noted that the high end of Paluzzi's sentencing range, seven years, is the maximum penalty for animal cruelty under Massachusetts law.
