[News] Man Pleads Guilty to Burning Dogs I can't believe the nastyness of some people! :( --- A man who admitted setting puppies on fire pleaded guilty to reduced charges Friday amid concerns that his confession to police wouldn't hold up in court. Ryan Turtura, 20, was charged with stealing five puppies from the Colorado Humane Society shelter and setting them on fire in February. Two of the puppies died. Turtura now contends another person was involved. "Someone else is involved," said his defense attorney William Rios. "He is so afraid of him and his whole family that he'd rather do this and go to prison than give it up." Turtura made no mention of an accomplice when he was arrested March 3 and gave a statement to police. Two burning dogs were discovered at the Olde Towne movie theaters in Arvada on Feb. 16 by an employee taking out trash. A dead dog with burns over 90 percent of its body was found in a blazing dog carrier. The other burning dog was bound in duct tape. Turtura told police that he left the dogs burning and later returned to the shelter, at 2760 S. Platte River Drive, to steal two more dogs. He allegedly bound one dog with duct tape and set it on fire in a stairwell at Bally's Total Fitness on West Bowles Avenue. That dog died. Turtura was dragging another dog by the scruff of its neck when he was spotted. He dropped that dog and ran off. Prosecutors agreed to the plea bargain rather than risk acquittal if the judge barred Turtura's statement from being used in the trial, set to begin Monday. Prosecutor Kathy Sasak said there were questions about whether Turtura was in custody when the statement was made, whether it was voluntary and whether he was properly advised of his rights. She also said the statement fell short of a complete confession. Turtura pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and contributing to the delinquency of a minor by supplying methamphetamine to two young teenagers in an unrelated case. Charges of arson and burglary were dismissed as part of the plea bargain. Those charges could have sent Turtura to prison for more than 30 years. He now faces up to 10 1/2 years in prison when he is sentenced in January. Turtura will be evaluated before he is sentenced by specialists for his use of fire and cruelty to animals. "We're really pleased that the charges that were important to us, the three cruelty charges, were upheld," said Bob Warren of the humane society. He said his staff, traumatized by the treatment of dogs they cared for, was relieved not to have to go through a trial. "This way, we know he's not going to get away with it," he said. Warren said the case was watched by animal activists throughout the country and abroad. "This is the kind of case that typically gets pled to a misdemeanor the first day and never sees the light of day," Warren said. " . . . Animal abuse is what spousal abuse used to be: the dark secret nobody talked about." http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drm...325091,00.html |
Are you crazy? yeah, you obviously are. Why don't you go visit him in prison and tell him how sorry we feel for him and his harsh sentence. Humans are almost all water, too -- more than puppies. Tell the judge that you compare killing a human or any other living thing to a glass of water. Good day. |
:thumbdown this is disgusting! I hope he gets the maximum sentence. |
2 Attachment(s) teek441: I think you are a bit out of line here. Comparing a living, breathing being to a glass of water is ridiculous. I also don't think you'll get any sympathy from a forum of dog owners and dog lovers so I don't know what the point is with your post. Here's the update to the story: --- JEFFERSON COUNTY - Ryan Turtura, who pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges in November, has been sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in prison and three years of mandatory parole. The sentence is one of the first times that a defendant will serve time in state prison on animal cruelty charges. The state Legislature made animal cruelty a felony in 2003. Turtura stole five puppies from the Colorado Humane Society last February. He poured accelerant on three of them and set them on fire. Two of the puppies died. A third survived and is now living with a family in Littleton. Turtura said he pleaded guilty to the charges against him on the advice of his lawyer. He later changed his story and maintained his innocence. At the sentencing hearing on Friday, prosecutors said Turtura killed the puppies in cold blood and hasn't shown any remorse. The judge sentenced him to the maximum penalty. Turtura was also sentenced for a single, unrelated count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, in which he admitted methamphetamine to two teenage girls. http://www.9news.com/acm_news.aspx?O...7-c589c01ca7bf |
Also, if this sicko Ryan can do this to a few dogs, what would he be capable of doing to babies or other people? He is a disgusting excuse for a human being. Why did this disgusting pig do this in the first place? You're right, he shouldn't be put in prison. He should be euthanized. Or better yet, set on fire like these puppies. |
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