Virginia officer sentenced to one year in prison for killing fiancée's dog
A police officer in Virginia has been sentenced to one year in prison for fatally shooting his then-fiancée dog with a 12-gauge shotgun. Authorities said Richard Chinappi III tried to cover up the shooting by saying he accidentally killed the animal while trying to stop a bear attack.
WRIC reports that Chinappi was sentenced Friday in Powhatan County Circuit Court. The Richmond police officer had pleaded guilty to a felony charge of torturing or maiming a dog or cat and making a false report to police.
Richmond police officer gets 1-year sentence for felony animal cruelty https://t.co/HgsfzgmEFB
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Powhatan Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Rob Cerullo told the news station that prosecutors presented evidence that Chinappi killed the beagle-hound mix at close range in October.
Cerullo said that Chinappi initially claimed a bear had attacked the dog in the home he shared with his now-former partner. He then allegedly changed his story to say he had shot the bear and killed the dog in the process.
But the dog's body showed it had been killed with a 12-gauge shotgun from "exceedingly close range" and there were no signs of damage caused by a bear, Cerullo said.
Chinappi's attorney, Mark Bong, declined to speak about the case on Friday to the news station.
Richmond police said in a statement that Chinappi "remains on leave without pay. In light of his sentencing today, the department is very close to concluding the internal investigation and administrative process."