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Florida Man Allegedly Killed Mom’s Dog After She Told Him To Get A Job

By Chelsea Hoffman
Published on: 14:52 PST, Apr 15, 2016

A Florida man has been arrested after an alleged incident that left his mother’s chihuahua dead. WFTV News reports that 24-year-old David Rivera killed the dog for an absolutely shocking reason.

Rivera’s mother called police on Thursday after an argument between her and her son. She told authorities that she told her son that he had to move out of her home if he didn’t find a job. The Florida man reportedly did not react well to his mother’s ultimatum, and he allegedly took the woman’s dog while in the middle of throwing a fit. The woman told police that her son used a dog chain to hang her pet chihuahua from a tree, killing the dog. The dog had been a beloved family member to the woman for five years.

When authorities in Debary, Florida, arrived at the scene of the incident, they noted that Rivera had tied a metal cable around his neck after climbing a 30-foot tree. He threatened to jump during a suicidal rant, police say. He didn’t jump, however. Police were able to coax him down to surrender to their custody.

This isn’t the only tragic story of a family pet being murdered that has made media headlines in recent years. This month a Washington state man was arrested for raping and asphyxiating a pit bull. The Daily Mail reports that the man has admitted to killing the dog (which belonged to an eight-year-old child) because it killed his pet iguana. The suspect in this case has been charged with first-degree animal cruelty and was able to post the $50,000 bond that was holding him in Thurston County Jail.

Last year, residents in Boulder, Colorado, were shocked when a Maltese named Dr. PB was found in a park and had been brutally murdered. Dr. PB was beaten to death and skinned. The most tragic part of this story was that the Maltese dog belonged to a woman who used him as a service dog. At this time, no updates exist on whether or not a suspect was ever arrested in the death of the Colorado service pet.

As for this latest case, Fox News 35 reports that the Florida man has been held on $2,000 bail at Volusia County Branch Jail. Authorities have also reportedly confirmed that they are arranging for Rivera to undergo a mental health evaluation to address his behavior. No reports indicate whether or not he has posted the $2,000 bond, or if he has an attorney at this time. Also, no reports are indicating whether or not his mother has officially kicked him out of her home in light of the incident involving the tragic death of her 5-year-old chihuahua.

[Photo: Volusia County Sheriff’s mugshot]

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