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Pittsburgh-area man confesses to stealing and killing ex's dog, police say

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A Butler man is facing charges after police said he admitted to stealing and killing his ex-girlfriend's dog. 

According to court paperwork, the investigation began more than a year ago on Jan. 5, 2024, when a woman called Butler police to report a burglary. Police said she told officers that no items were taken from the house, but her 10-year-old pug was missing.

The criminal complaint says she told police that the day before, she had told 28-year-old Joseph Hillard, who she had met on a dating app, that she no longer wanted to be friends with him because he made her uncomfortable. 

Police said they tracked Hillard down to a home in Slippery Rock, but they couldn't find the dog, so they "tabled" the investigation due to a lack of evidence. 

A year later, on Jan. 25, police said Hillard came to the station, saying he wanted to confess a crime. According to the criminal complaint, he told an officer he had broken into an ex-girlfriend's house to steal and kill her dog. 

In his statement, investigators said Hillard described how as he approached the victim's house, he decided that if a window was open, "I would kill her dog." Police said Hillard confessed that he started "hitting it in a rage" and after realizing the dog "was battered pretty well," he took it to the woods and killed it. 

Hillard is charged with burglary, aggravated cruelty to animals, tampering with evidence and theft. 

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