SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, March 20, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — A 20-year-old man was arrested and charged with animal torture after he allegedly admitted to police he killed his dog.
According to charging documents, Cailean Torquil Macdona Macleod has been charged with third-degree felony torture of a companion animal and class B misdemeanor unlawful detention.
The charging documents state that on Feb. 12, officers responded to a welfare check in Salt Lake County. Macleod had killed his own dog, according to a friend of his who contacted officials, and “wanted to join the military to kill people.”
The friend told officials that “the defendant admitted to him that he enjoyed hurting the dog and he deeply loved to ‘choke’ her and found pleasure in it.”
The friend asked for a welfare check on Macleod due to the defendant stating that he “didn’t want to hurt his girlfriend,” with whom he lives.
A detective then spoke with the girlfriend who stated that she and Macleod bought their dog, Mocha, together, and that the dog died on Jan. 23. The girlfriend told officials that Macleod told her that Mocha had died from a “blood clot or strangulation from his cone.”
The girlfriend told police that Mocha had to have her leg amputated after the defendant threw her down the stairs and she suffered a broken leg. The girlfriend also told officials that Mocha was afraid of Macleod.
Macleod told the girlfriend on Feb. 12 that on Jan. 22, he strangled Mocha and “knew he had taken it too far.”
According to the charging documents, the defendant told the girlfriend that he put Mocha in her kennel after strangling her and that he then cut the dog’s tongue twice with a knife and punched the dog in the head.
The girlfriend stated that she told the defendant she wanted to leave and was afraid to be in the residence with him.
The girlfriend told officials the defendant walked her through the apartment complex and stairwell while showing her areas where he physically abused Mocha.
“The defendant described punching, kicking, throwing and strangling Mocha,” the documents state.
The girlfriend said at one point the defendant grabbed her, the girlfriend, by the neck and pushed her up against the wall to “show her how he would pick up Mocha by the throat, choking her and pushing her into the wall.”
The girlfriend then said the defendant physically picked her up and forced her into their apartment. He then took her phone and keys from her and stood in front of the doorway to prevent her from leaving.
“The defendant told her that he thought about killing her before and that he wanted to break up because he was afraid of what he would do to her, what he had done to Mocha,” the charging documents said.
Macleod subsequently admitted to a detective that he began to abuse Mocha about a month after they got her; he said he eventually threw the dog down approximately 20 stairs, causing her leg to break and the subsequent amputation.
According to the charging documents, his statements to officials corroborated his girlfriend’s report that he admitted to causing the dog’s death, and that he had picked his girlfriend up, carried her back into the apartment and would not let her leave.
“The defendant also admitted that he struggled with the thought of killing people and that he liked it,” the charging documents conclude. “The defendant stated he wanted to be a drone pilot because they have a high kill ratio.”
