KINGSTON, Mass. — A Kingston man was sentenced to prison Thursday for stabbing his dog to death earlier this year after trying to poison it with fentanyl.
45-year-old Jonathan Paluzzi pleaded guilty in Plymouth Superior Court to two counts of animal cruelty and two counts of intimidation of a witness, according to Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz. He was sentenced to 5-7 years of incarceration in state prison.
According to the DA’s office, Paluzzi gave his bull terrier, Brutus, fentanyl on January 31 with the intent to kill him. After realizing the dog had not succumbed to the drug overdose, Paluzzi fatally stabbed him.
Investigators say Paluzzi had previously tried to get Brutus euthanized through veterinary means but animal care centers refused because the dog was in relatively good health.
A subsequent examination of Brutus’s body by MSPCA-Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston determined he had fentanyl in his system during the deadly incident.
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