The Washington Supreme Court ruled that a man who beat his girlfriend's dog to death is guilty of domestic violence, King5 News reports. The judges unanimously agreed to apply the label to ensure that courts can issue a post-conviction no-contact order between the perpetrator and the victim. Two judges disagreed with the decision to sentence an extra six months behind bars for traumatizing a witness.
The man, Charmarke Abdi-Issa of Tukwila, Wa., beat his girlfriend's Chihuahua-dachshund named Mona in a Seattle parking lot in 2018. The animal was taken by responding officers to a vet, where the animal died. Abdi-Issa is sentenced to 18 months in prison, with 12 for animal abuse and six for traumatizing a woman who saw the incident.