Woman Skinned Puppy To Make Belt, Cops Say

(AP)  A 23-year-old woman who got a friend to kill her Jack Russell terrier was charged with skinning the puppy to make a belt out of its hide.

Krystal Lynn Lewis and Austin Michael Mullins, 26, were being held Friday in the Muskogee County jail on $25,000 bail each. They were charged with one felony count of cruelty to animals.

A Muskogee County judge ordered a mental competency hearing for Lewis.

Lewis wanted the puppy, named Poplin, killed because it was a gift from a female ex-lover with whom she doesn't get along, said Muskogee County sheriff's deputy George Roberson.

Roberson said Mullins shot the terrier 10 times with a .22-caliber pistol. Lewis skinned the animal at her apartment and nailed the hide to a board.

[loudonchick]

I hope she gets what she has coming to her. She needs huge $$$$$$$ fine, 5 years in the pen, with animals just like her. And that might not be enough!!! I know what the court will do , slap her on the hand! Its up to us to be a voice for the puppy!! Please keep me posted! I am on face book Karen Purdy, let me know the Judge's name so I can contact him, and tell him how outraged I am. We need better laws for abusing and killing animals.

[jerryandjudy]

I have a Jack Russell and reading this story made me sick. This breed of dog is so intelligent and are known to adore their owners. I am tired of Oklahoma getting bad publicity because of a few inbred creeps. Speak up Oklahomans! We are not all child rapists, animal killers, or dim witted. Let's do more than ostracize them, give them a one way ticket to Bermuda in a canoe. No slap on the hands for these two ferals!

[mypatch]

This shows you the evil mind set of people today. Blame a poor defenceless puppy for your failure and punish the pup. What a pair of losers. May you burn in h*ll for your sins.

[tmittelstaed]

Folks, please stop reacting to the skinning - there's nothing wrong with skinning and tanning the hide of a dead animal. There's people out there who make yarn from their shedding dog's fur and knit sweaters out of it, do you think they stop wearing the sweaters when the dog gets old and dies?

Any of you nuts go into your clothes closet and I would bet money that 3/4 of the wool clothing you own is from sheep fur that belonged to a sheep that long ago died or was turned into mutton for someone's table - sheep don't live forever, you know. Or your leather jacket, or shoes, etc. etc. If McDonalds didn't serve hamburgers, leather coats would be much rarer and more expensive.

What is outrageous here is not the skinning, what is outrageous is killing a perfectly healthy puppy who could have easily been SOLD, for good money, to someone wanting a dog. What is also quite sickening is that almost certainly this puppy had been living with her for several months and certainly was trusting her. Can you imagine putting your gun to the head of a healthy puppy that you had spent the last 3-6 months caring for and shooting it at point blank range while it looked at you with trusting eyes? I could only do that to a rabid animal, and even then, it would take some doing.

I can imagine she was thinking that once she made her belt, she would go display it to ex-lover as revenge. Wouldn't you get the same effect by just buying a fake-fur belt with the same coloring? What an idiot.

[mypatch]

Excuse me! It's illegal to use any part of a dog or cat for anything even if you don't kill it and also they are in jail for cruelty. Does that tell you something.

[cs4466]

FRY HER. Scum like this doesn't deserve to live.

[Kath68144]

Let's just skin her and see how she likes it. People like this needs to be shot at point blank range, plain and simple.

[PostalOneToo]

Sorry. Didn't mean to post twice.

[PostalOneToo]

Does that mean you think what she did was okay? Just asking.

[PostalOneToo]

Does that mean you think what she did was okay? Just asking.

[PostalOneToo]

We are not discussing gays, liberals, abortion or democrats. It's animal abuse. Stick with the subject.