Charges: Michael Klinger killed woman's dog days before allegedly killing another woman
MINNEAPOLIS – A man charged in the shooting death of a woman in Brooklyn Center last week is now charged with shooting another woman's dog dead last month in Minneapolis.
Thirty-six-year-old Michael Issac Klinger, from Anoka, is accused of confronting a woman described as his "ex-girlfriend" while she was walking her dog in the early morning hours of July 27 near the area of West 34th Street and Nicollet Avenue.
The woman told Minneapolis police that Klinger "suddenly appeared" and said he wanted to speak with her. The criminal complaint states that Klinger "said he had warned her that he would take the best thing she loves." He then shot her dog and got into a silver sedan that was driven by an unknown person. Officers retrieved a single shell casing at the site of the shooting.
Four days after the dog was killed, Klinger was arrested in connection to the shooting death of a 34-year-old woman in Brooklyn Center. Klinger was described by people who were inside the residence during the shooting as the victim's on-again-off-again boyfriend. He is charged with second-degree murder in that case, as well as first-degree aggravated controlled substance crime, and for being a felon in possession of a firearm. His bail was set at $1.5 million.
Police say they tried to interview Klinger about the dog's death while in custody, but "he refused to be questioned." He was charged Wednesday with animal torture, in addition to another felony firearm possession charge.
Klinger could face up to 40 years in prison for the woman's murder, and another 19 years in prison for killing the dog.
