Police: Man Admitted Beheading Roommate's Dog As She Moved Out

BUCKEYE, Ariz. (CBS Local) -- An Arizona man allegedly beheaded his roommate's dog Saturday night as she was moving out of the Buckeye home that the two shared, according to police.

The roommate, who had lost track of her dog as she moved out her belongings, said she caught Jose Vega Meza, 21, sneaking a box into his truck, according to court documents. She told police he smiled and laughed before revealing her beheaded dog inside.

"The other day there was a girl walking out of that house, she was crying and screaming saying that he did something," said Victoria, who lives in the area. "She had like four or five people outside trying to calm her down and she couldn't calm down."

Vega Meza was taken into custody the following day and allegedly admitted his involvement in the crime. The suspect told officers that he wrapped the dog in a string and then cut it open with a razor blade, CBS affiliate KPHO reported.

Vega Meza said he killed the dog because the roommate owed his mother rent money, according to court documents. The suspect also allegedly admitted to recently drowning a cat in a cage and killing and torturing other animals in the neighborhood in the past.

"We just had two cats come up missing like two days ago so that's like really scary and my little brothers and sisters are probably wondering what happened to their cats and maybe that guy probably did something to my little brother and sister's cat and that's really horrible," Victoria said.

Vega Meza was booked into the 4th Avenue Jail in downtown Phoenix on two counts related to animal cruelty. He was also charged with a count of misdemeanor assault after he allegedly attacked another inmate.

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• Arizona