Teen Shoots Retired Police Dog And Faces 23 Years In Slammer (Video)
Ivins Rosier, 17, was sentenced on Friday to 23 years in prison for shooting and killing a retired police dog. His charges consisted of animal cruelty, armed burglary, and shooting into an occupied building according to DailyMail.co.uk.
Rosier broke into a Florida highway patrol trooper, Ron Boody’s, home in Palm Beach on November 18, 2012. Although Boody wasn’t home when Rosier broke in, Boody’s retired police dog, Drake, was inside the home per Sun Sentinel.
Rosier, who at the time was already wearing an ankle bracelet from a previous burglary, decided to break into Boody’s home. The GPS tracker in his bracelet places Rosier in Boody’s home the night of the crime.
Rosier was not alone in his crimes. Gilson Gilles, 20, faces the same charges, but his case is pending at the present time. Rosier confessed to shooting 5-year-old Drake multiple times. Drake was a former drug-sniffing dog and had been adopted by Broody in 2010 as reported by DailyMail.co.uk.
Trooper Boody cried during his testimony as he told of how he came home to find his beloved dog lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Sun Sentinel reports Boody stating, “He was in obvious pain.” Boody described Drake’s horrific injuries which included broken limbs, bullet wounds in his head and jaw, massive blood loss and lethal damage to his esophagus per Sun Sentinel. Drake was euthanized a few days later.
Judge Robin Rosenberg was asked by Rosier’s attorneys, Jack Fleishman and Rachel Preefer, for the teen to be sentenced as a juvenile which would mean a six year prison sentence. However, Judge Rosenberg refused based on Rosier’s criminal background of previous juvenile charges of grand theft, battery, lewd and lascivious molestation and false imprisonment per DailyMail.co.uk.
Rosier’s attorney, Fleishman, is furious stating that during Rosier’s interrogation he was lied to by the police officer questioning him. Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Detective Philip Dimola told the teen at the time of the interrogation that “If you shoot that dog and he dies, that’s murder of a law enforcement officer,” per Opposing Views.
However, that statement was not true because Drake was retired from the force at the time of the shooting. Nevertheless, that false statement prompted a confession by Rosier, which inflamed his lawyer. Opposing Views reports that in court Fleishman stated, “It’s unbelievable that police can lie while interrogating suspects. But they can. That cop tried to hustle Rosier.”
Fleishman continued to say that police did not have Rosier’s DNA, fingerprints or weapon at the scene. He also claimed that Rosier’s mere presence at the scene of the crime and Rosier’s confession was not enough to convict, as reported by Opposing Views.
Rosier told Judge Rosenberg he “was misunderstood and blamed his behavior on drugs and alcohol” per DailyMail.co.uk. Rosier went on to say, “The vicious ruthless person I’ve been portrayed to be, that’s not who I am, that’s not who I’ll ever be.”
Regardless, a jury found Rosier guilty and he now faces 23 years in prison.
Photo credit OpposingViews.com
