A Virginia man will serve five years in prison without parole for the death of a pit bull that was tied to a fence, covered in accelerant and set on fire.
Richmond police announced Wednesday that the sentence was part of 20-year-old Jyahshua A. Hill’s plea agreement.
The pit bull, named “Tommie,” was found on the night of Feb. 10, tied to a fence at Abner Clay Park and set on fire, Richmond Police said in a statement.
Firefighters found the dog had been doused with a flammable liquid and suffered burns to over 40 percent of its body.
BREAKING: The man responsible for killing Tommie the pit bull will serve 5 years in prison. https://t.co/zLJVHQGgoj
— WNDU (@WNDU) August 28, 2019
Tommie was treated at Virginia Veterinary Center, and “rallied briefly,” police said, but five days later succumbed to his injuries and died.
Jyahshua A. Hill, 20, of St. Peter Street, was arrested on May 20, by the U.S. Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force, police said.
BREAKING: Newly released photo of man charged with killing Tommie.
Jyahshua Hill, 20, of St. Peter St is charged with one felony count of animal cruelty.STORY: Man arrested for killing Tommie, the dog set on fire in a Richmond park https://t.co/xoie2cAdS8 pic.twitter.com/DKcCSBh319
— Brendan King CBS 6 (@ImBrendanKing) May 20, 2019
“There are a lot of people to thank, but I’d like to single out all the citizens who contributed tips that pointed us in the right direction,” Interim Richmond Police Chief William C. Smith said. “That, plus the excellent job done by arson investigators who did the bulk of the work, major crimes detectives, forensics technicians, and animal control officers who all built a strong case to present to the grand jury.”
The director of Richmond Animal Care and Control (RACC) told WRIC on May 20 that in her 15 years of working with animals, this is the worst case of animal cruelty she had witnessed.
“It’s the most evil, I would say, there’s an element of evil and a sadness that have over taken all of the other cases we’ve dealt with,” RACC Director Christie Peters told the outlet. “They said that it’s an unbelievable case. That they’ve had more people from the community rally around this case than they have seen in a very long time.”
“The incident sparked widespread outrage,” a Richmond Police spokesperson said, according to WTVR. “Investigators are crediting an outpouring of information and assistance from the general public that helped them solve this crime.”
Public outcry over the dog’s death led to new legislation dubbed “Tommie’s Law” that made animal cruelty a felony in Virginia, WTKR reported.
The bill raises the penalty for animal abuse from a misdemeanor to a Class 6 felony, which can bring a prison term of up to five years behind bars.
The Senate passed the bill unanimously on Feb. 15.
The Associated Press and Epoch Times reporter Tom Ozimek contributed to this article.
