Puppy Killer Gets Prison: How Much Is Enough Time?
In Salt Lake City (UT), Michael Ray Howard was convicted for killing 14 puppies, and received a sentence of 13 years handed down by Judge Roger Dutson.
In December a bag containing 14 puppies was found in a dumpster outside a Salt Lake City, UT, Hancock Fabric store. Only one one of the puppies survived and has since been adopted by Rita Woodward, an employee of Hancock Fabrics and one of the women who found the puppies.
It is high time that the courts take animal abuse seriously and that prosecutors are able to seek charges that are suitable for the crime.
He was charged with 14 counts of animal cruelty and one third-degree felony. Initially, Howard pleaded not guilty even though he did admit he stuffed the tiny, 3-5 week old Jack Russell mix puppies, in a heavy trash bag to suffocate, left them outside overnight and the next day figuring he’d accomplished killing them all, threw the bag of puppies in a Riverdale dumpster. He changed his plea to guilty the following day.
Prosecutors were able to use a new law, Henry’s Law, that was passed earlier in the year to charge him with a felony.
Prosecutors said the crime was committed with “extreme depravity” and noted it was a touchstone for the passage of Henry’s Law, which increased the penalty for extreme cases of animal cruelty to a felony. That bill was passed by the Legislature earlier this year.
While Judge Dutson did issue the sentence to run concurrently, I do applaud him for handing out the maximum sentence on the aggravated animal cruelty charge.
Howard, also convicted of illegal possession of a controlled substance and an admitted methamphetamine user/addict was sentenced to serve to serve 13 years in prison for the class A misdemeanor counts of aggravated animal cruelty, six months in prison for a class B misdemeanor animal cruelty charge, and up to five years in prison for the drug charge. All sentence will run together which in reality means about a 5 year sentence and probably even less time will actually be served.
Let’s hope, at the earliest, we don’t see Michael Ray Howard on the street until 2013.
On the one hand is good that at least he is going to be jailed but on the other hand for a crime committed with “extreme depravity” the sorry a**ed son of a bi*ch got away easy. This is the kind of “person” that should be put away for ever.
We agree ! Me can’t believe someone would do this but,mommy saids people do it all the time. Anyone that kills a dog or puppies or cats or kittens will go on to kill people it’s a proved fact ! Wake up law makers!!!!!!!!!!
And there in lies the problem my friends. Even if you’re not a dog person, you can’t ignore the facts. 90% of serial killers abused animals during one point in their life.
Personally, I say leave him in a trash bag and wait for him to suffocate. I know it sounds extreme, but this guy will never be a contributing member of society.
In my opinion, anyone who lacks respect for puppies/dogs/cats etc. like this is only one step away from killing people. This man does not apparently believe that life is precious. It makes me so sad when I hear stories such as this one.
They should jail this guy and throw away the key! Seriously, when he gets out, does anyone really expect him to be a good person, and to not commit anymore crimes? If you are so evil that you kill PUPPIES, you are capable of anything. Locking him away forever would just be good prevention for future bad acts commited by that awful man.
He needs a L-I-F-E sentence, sorry, but that is what needs to be done! Actually, I am NOT sorry! He isin`t, I`m not! He is really sick and he should go to a killers instituion, seirously!!!
Love and growls to puppy killer,
Bella Duke`s mommy
I live in Utah where this was on the news and had happened, we dogs are like humans we should be treated like them exept get our food and walking on a leash and not standing up or sitting like them we should be the people too all animals, so I say give this killer a never ending sentence for this life and his next life, It may sound harsh but there are huge sins like killing anything living that lives in our homes that should be accounted for, but I would be very forgiving if he repented
Hoping he repents
Lil Todd`s Human brother
Every time I read stories like this, it makes me wonder what happened to these people that could do this to the helpless animals, and where it will lead if they are left uncaught.
I’m very glad this awful man has gotten jail time for this awful crime. But I have a problem with this! Why is it if a dog bites a person for protection of its self or its owner the dog is put to sleep ( death penality)? And When a human kills a animal they do not get the death penality? I think something is very wrong here and our laws better change fast as animals have rights but they can not talk to tell what happened.
me and my mommie can’ts stand to read stuff like this. i don’t understand how someone can hurt an innocent animal. i mean, little puppies ???!!!!!!! what is wrong with this guy, who really cares though. stuff him in a bag and toss it off a cliff. i’m not sorry for feeling hate towards this man or anybody else who abuses animals, makes me sick. the laws need to be changed big time to protect these innocent animals. there is no excuse to let someone get away with abusing an animal, NONE AT ALL !!!!! dogs can’t talk to tell how they have suffered and the pain and hurt they feel from being abused, they depend on us to protect them, so lets get some stricter laws going here and protect our best friends better. how dare the “law” let someone walk away after killing and/or abusing an innocent animal. just wrong and it just plain makes me angry and sick . god bless all the animals out there who are scared and alone, lost and abused, in the end the abusers will get there just punsishment, i hope that the end is very near for them.
Where we live we see it all. Sadly, this man nor his horrendous actions aren’t uncommon. For everyone like this miscreant who is made an example of, there are hundreds more who are never caught, prosecuted and sentenced. It is a scourge upon our society. If only the prison time would teach him something, but it won’t . So until he is released each of us as taxpayers are funding his daily 3 hots and a cot. There’s something wrong with this picture. Our system is quite broken and needs a good old fashioned overhaul. In the meantime it is our duty as animal lovers to teach the youngsters of today the right path to take with respect to human and animal kindness.
This guy is sick! Anyone that does this is a sick individual, a waste of skin! I agree 100% with Mack, the same thing needs to be done to him.
Does anyone really think that a person that does this kind of thing would ever stop? Or realize that horror of his actions? No. Let him rot in solitary confinement, with only his sick, depraved mind for company!
This moron should be shot so there are no other acts of inhumane behavior. The man is definately sick. To treat innocent puppies like that is inexcuseable. If he gets out he will do something inhumane to people. It’s a proven theory.
Our mommy works for the Dept of Corrections. No matter how long some gets for the crime they have committed, they will NOT do all of the time. Our mommy thinks that all murder’s need to be “put down” permanently. This includes doing the horrible crime this guy did to the puppies. As he will never change! But our delegates, senators, congressman and higher up in the gov. does not believe in “capital” punishment. They are to scared! Anyhow, if and when this guy gets out, someone needs to put rat poison in his food or whatever they can find to quietly put him down. He is no good to the community nor to his family or anyone for that matter.
The prison here where we live have a program for the “lost dogs” These men do everything with their dogs, sleep with them, feed them, groom them, and walk them. The men get very close to these dogs, so maybe if you where to send this Nasty human being, to our prison and put him with the men that take care of these dogs and become very close, they will either open his eyes or shut them forever. But do not let him have a dog in prison.
Max aka Gator Lips the Swamp Dawg
My mommy says somebody should put him in a bag, seal it up so he can’t get out, then throw him in a remote dumpster where he’s certainly not going to be found for a few days. That’s so he can find out how it felt to those poor innocent puppies. “An eye for an eye” when you’re guilty.
Ok, this is one crazy nut case, plus he has crazy eyes, a real evil looking wimp ( can’t be a man, real men don’t hurt animals). I would be happy to beget the violence that you gave those pups. Jack…a$$
I will never ever understand stupid, ignorant people and the lack of justice that the courts hand out. All I can do is sit and shake my head in disbelief