bloodrayne
10-07-2005, 01:18 PM
Woman Nabbed In Horrific Dog Slaying
Massachusetts - A Walpole woman, reportedly high on cocaine, slashed her pet Great Dane's throat with a butcher knife until the dog died in a gruesome scene police walked right into.
"It was just a mess. She's got some serious problems,'' said Walpole Animal Control Officer John Spillane, who was among the first at the home.
Patricia Devine, 36, of Walpole was arrested immediately on a charge of animal cruelty. Police said officers went to the home after the woman's husband called saying Devine had "just killed her dog.''
Police say he added, "Be careful.''
Spillane said he arrived with fellow officers to see the family's 150-pound, 2-year-old Great Dane, 'Gracie' lying dead on the floor, covered in blood.
Spillane said the dog had multiple stab wounds, most to the throat, and the presumed weapon, a 16-inch butcher knife, was buried to the hilt in the dog's chest. Devine, he said, was lying on top of the dog.
Devine was ordered held without bail yesterday by a Wrentham District Court judge while she undergoes a psychiatric evaluation.
The woman's 8-year-old daughter, who was not at home at the time of the killing, has been placed with a family member, said Denise Monteiro, spokesman for the state Department of Social Services.
According to a police report, Devine said "her boyfriend wanted her to get rid of the dog today and she didn't know what to do with it. She said that she couldn't give it away, so she killed it.''
Police declined to identify the man who reported the crime by name, but said it was Devine's husband, later identified as Eric Langmead. Police said Langmead and Devine told officers they were technically divorced.
Reached at his Walpole home yesterday afternoon, Langmead refused to discuss the incident with a reporter, saying he was concerned about how the publicity will affect his daughter.
"I'm defending my daughter,'' he shouted as he retreated into the house. "It's got nothing to do with her.''
In district court yesterday, Dr. Fredrick Kelso, a court-appointed psychologist, said there was evidence Devine had been drinking and taking cocaine before the killing. He also said Devine told him she was hearing voices in her head, telling her to kill the dog.
"It's a multi-problem situation at this point,'' Kelso said.
If convicted of the charge, a felony, Devine faces up to $ 2,500 in fines, and up to either 5 years in state prison or 2 1/2 years in a house of corrections.
Massachusetts - A Walpole woman, reportedly high on cocaine, slashed her pet Great Dane's throat with a butcher knife until the dog died in a gruesome scene police walked right into.
"It was just a mess. She's got some serious problems,'' said Walpole Animal Control Officer John Spillane, who was among the first at the home.
Patricia Devine, 36, of Walpole was arrested immediately on a charge of animal cruelty. Police said officers went to the home after the woman's husband called saying Devine had "just killed her dog.''
Police say he added, "Be careful.''
Spillane said he arrived with fellow officers to see the family's 150-pound, 2-year-old Great Dane, 'Gracie' lying dead on the floor, covered in blood.
Spillane said the dog had multiple stab wounds, most to the throat, and the presumed weapon, a 16-inch butcher knife, was buried to the hilt in the dog's chest. Devine, he said, was lying on top of the dog.
Devine was ordered held without bail yesterday by a Wrentham District Court judge while she undergoes a psychiatric evaluation.
The woman's 8-year-old daughter, who was not at home at the time of the killing, has been placed with a family member, said Denise Monteiro, spokesman for the state Department of Social Services.
According to a police report, Devine said "her boyfriend wanted her to get rid of the dog today and she didn't know what to do with it. She said that she couldn't give it away, so she killed it.''
Police declined to identify the man who reported the crime by name, but said it was Devine's husband, later identified as Eric Langmead. Police said Langmead and Devine told officers they were technically divorced.
Reached at his Walpole home yesterday afternoon, Langmead refused to discuss the incident with a reporter, saying he was concerned about how the publicity will affect his daughter.
"I'm defending my daughter,'' he shouted as he retreated into the house. "It's got nothing to do with her.''
In district court yesterday, Dr. Fredrick Kelso, a court-appointed psychologist, said there was evidence Devine had been drinking and taking cocaine before the killing. He also said Devine told him she was hearing voices in her head, telling her to kill the dog.
"It's a multi-problem situation at this point,'' Kelso said.
If convicted of the charge, a felony, Devine faces up to $ 2,500 in fines, and up to either 5 years in state prison or 2 1/2 years in a house of corrections.