A hunter shot and skinned a family’s two German Shepherds after thinking the animals were coyotes.
Michael Konschak61 years old, from Carmel of New York, USA, He said he never intended to harm the family dogs during an appearance in Danbury Superior Court on Wednesday. He said, “Please know that it was never my intention to harm the victims’ pets that morning.”
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Police arrested Konschak in February on charges of evidence tampering, forgery, interference with a law enforcement officer and hunting-related violations.
The suspect, according to an arrest affidavit, told police he killed the dogs with a crossbow on Nov. 18 after the pets escaped from Erin Caviola’s family garden. Konsachak was hunting deer when he thought he saw two coyotes.
Erin Caviola, owner of a 10-year-old male named Cimo and female named Lieben, had been looking for her dogs for weeks.
They put up missing flyers after a bear was thought to have spooked them by allowing the dogs to escape. The devastated family discovered the dogs nearly a month after Erin found photos of them on social media. after a taxidermist was asked to keep them.
She said the family was heartbroken: “We live with the emotional pain of what it feels like in their final moments to die next to each other. It was absolutely devastating. We don’t know how it can happen, to look at these two beautiful animals and do it.”
Also, he said the dogs’ heads have been removed and are still missing. Brian Romano, Konsachak’s attorney, revealed that his client thought he had been skinning the coyotes for their fur and that the dogs’ deaths were an accident.
The hunting and trapping of coyotes is legal in Connecticut. Animal rights advocates have called for Mr Konsachak to face a further charge of animal cruelty, which has not been ruled out.
Danbury State attorney David Applegate confirmed further charges are possible after telling the court there were inconsistencies in the suspect’s story.
He also questioned how Konsachak couldn’t see that the animals were dogs before skinning them. Konsachak applied for a special probation program that could have dropped the charges, but a judge denied that request Wednesday.
The respiratory therapist and Air Force veteran is due to reappear in court next month.
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.