10-Year-Old Accused Of Beating Dog To Death With Stick
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Update: Police have now said the boy who will be charged with the dog beating death is 10-years-old, not 11.
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - Residents in one Fort Worth neighborhood are shocked after "Cookie," a Cavalier mix, was allegedly beaten to death.
Police said an 11-year-old boy chased Cookie out of the pet's back yard with a stick, eventually cornering him on a porch then killing him.
According to the Cookie's owner of five years, Jennifer Knittel, a concerned neighbor was key in figuring out what happened to the dog. Knittel said while she wasn't home, a neighbor driving by noticed something strange.
"She saw my two dogs hiding under a pickup next door with a kid, an 11-year-old kid, kicking at them, trying to get them to come out from underneath the car," she said.
Knittel said the witness felt like she should drive back around and question the boy.
"She said, 'Did you hurt that dog?' And he said, 'No, it's sleeping,'" she said.
Ultimately, a blow to the head killed Cookie, cracking his skull and severing his spine.
Image Warning: This Image May Be Disturbing To Some
The boy told police the dog attacked him.
Knittel said the witness told her Cookie didn't provoke the brutal attack.
"I don't think we've ever heard cookie even growl. So for someone to attack Cookie -- it doesn't make any sense to me," she said. "My dog was not aggressive. The little boy has no scratches or marks of any kind on him."
CBS 11 tried to speak with the parents of the boy the witness said was involved, but a man inside the child's house refused to speak.
"I just want justice for Cookie," Knittel said.
The family is working with a private investigator to get justice and police said felony charges are expected to be filed against the boy.
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