A Cobb County man admitted Tuesday to beating his mother’s dog to death, according to a release from the Cobb District Attorney’s Office.
Darwin Kerrington Thompson, 21, of Marietta, was sentenced to 2 years in prison and 8 years probation for beating the 15-pound poodle mix named Brooklyn to death in August 2014, according to the release. Thompson then took the dead dog to Banfield Pet Hospital, where he admitted to beating the dog.
He was convicted of aggravated cruelty to animals.
Thompson's sentencing was originally scheduled for earlier this month but was twice delayed – once when he diluted and then failed a drug test, and again when he was admitted to a mental health facility, according to the release.
Thompson said in a statement Tuesday: “The weight of my actions will always be heavy on my shoulders.”
Thompson’s mother, according to the release, said she felt responsible for not seeing his problems sooner.
“I believe he should be punished,” she said in court. “To me, he’s been incarcerated mentally for so long.” She asked for an alternative to prison.
Cobb Assistant District Attorney Sherwin Figueroa disagreed, according to the release. Figueroa said Thompson “chose to take out his rage and his anger on an innocent animal.”
Cobb Superior Court Judge A. Gregory Poole agreed and sentenced Thompson to 10 years, with two years to serve in custody and the balance on probation.
“You stomped the dog to death,” Poole said in court. “It’s a heinous, horrible, unforgivable act. You cut the limb out from under yourself.”
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