Photo Courtesy of Instagram
Hernandez admitted that he ripped Honey out of his then-girlfriend’s arms and slammed the Chihuahua against the apartment floor. She died moments later.
By Forum Staff
The man who viciously murdered his girlfriends Chihuahua in January has been sentenced to 60 days in jail and must register with the City as an animal abuser. Carlos Hernandez, 33, of 73rd Street in Jackson Heights, pleaded guilty to killing Honey, a three-year-old Chihuahua, by slamming the dog against the floor during a verbal dispute with his girlfriend in January. The incident happened while the girlfriend’s 11-year-old daughter was present in the apartment.
District Attorney Brown said, “My office takes a strong stand against animal cruelty and is committed to aggressively enforcing those laws to protect animals from harm. In this case, the defendant has admitted to pulling his girlfriend’s small dog out of her arms during an argument and killing the helpless animal by violently throwing the dog to the floor. Such acts of aggression toward animals cannot – and will not – be tolerated.”
The defendant, who has been out on $7,500 bail since his arrest in January, pleaded guilty last month to an indictment charging him with one count each of aggravated cruelty to animals, third-degree robbery, fourth-degree criminal mischief, endangering the welfare of a child and second-degree harassment and two counts of fourth-degree grand larceny.
A judge sentenced Hernandez to 60 days in jail, four years’ probation and to register with the New York City Department of Health as an animal abuser following the completion of his jail sentence. The registration will prevent city shelters, rescue groups and/or pet stores from permitting him to purchase or adopt a pet. In addition, the Court issued orders of protection preventing Hernandez from having any contact with his former girlfriend and her daughter for the next eight years.
During sentencing, a victim impact statement by the former girlfriend was read into the court record in which she stated, in part, “Honey didn’t deserve to die this horrible way. She was adorable and was a big part of our family . . . I regret opening the doors of my house to a person who is so cruel and cold.”
According to the charges, Hernandez was inside the apartment he then shared with his girlfriend and her daughter in Forest Hills and on the morning of Sunday, January 10, 2016, he engaged in a verbal dispute with her. Hernandez forcibly grabbed the Chihuahua out of her arms and slammed the dog against the floor, causing the Chihuahua to bleed from its ears and collapse on the floor where she died minutes later. The girlfriend’s 11-year- old daughter, who was the Chihuahua’s caregiver along with her mother, was present in the apartment when this violent incident occurred.
The indictment against Hernandez was the first one to be brought by his Animal Cruelty Prosecutions Unit, which was established this past January. The mandate of the Animal Cruelty Prosecutions Unit – the first of its kind in a District Attorney’s Office in New York City – will be to investigate and prosecute animal cruelty crimes in Queens County and to educate the public about how to prevent and detect abuse of animals.
