Tommie the pitbull's death sparked a new law that raised the penalty for animal cruelty.
An animal abuser who doused his dog in fuel then burned him to death has been sentenced to five years in jail.
Jyahshua Hill, 20, was also banned from owning a pet for the rest of his life after pleaded guilty to felony animal cruelty in Richmond City Circuit Court, Virginia, on Wednesday.
The pit bull, affectionately named Tommie by his rescuers, was found tied to a fence in Abner Clay Park suffering from severe burns on 40 percent of his body in Richmond in February.
Tommie was rushed to the Cary Street Veterinary hospital, as news of his attack spread and devastated local residents. Veterinaries tried to treat the badly injured dog, but he later died.
Prosecutors said that Hill was captured on surveillance camera lighting the dog on fire and he was arrested on May 20.
Carrie Alspaugh, who worked at the Cary Street Veterinarian hospital told WKTR: ‘It was hard, I was there when he passed away.’
‘Even in the years I’ve been doing this it’s one of the hardest cases we’ve ever had.’
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After his arrest, Hill told CBS 6 that he owned the pi tbull he called ‘Choo Choo’ for months, but claimed the dog attacked members of his family.
He also claimed he tried to give the dog away to shelters, but none would take him.
‘The dog attacked my daughter and I snapped. I did what I had to do to protect my kids from the dog,’ he claimed.
Hill also said he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, claiming he ‘blacked out’ during the incident.
He pleaded guilty on Wednesday after a judge found him competent to stand trial after his sanity and competency evaluations came back negative.
Hill’s crime actually sparked so much outrage that it led to Tommie’s Law.
That has since increased the penalty for all animal cruelty to a Class 6 felony, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in jail.
