Plymouth County man sentenced to prison for giving his pet dog fentanyl, stabbing it to death

A Massachusetts man has been sentenced in the death of his dog.

Earlier this year police arrested 45-year-old Jonathan Paluzzi for criminal acts associated with poisoning and stabbing his dog to death.

Yesterday, Paluzzi was sentenced to 5-7 years in state prison for these offenses. 7 years is the maximum sentence for animal cruelty in Massachusetts.

According to Detective Lieutenant Michael Skowyra, shortly after 1:00 p.m. on January 31st, the Kingston Police responded to “The Point at Kingston” located at 1 Kingston Collection Way (previously known as the Alexan Apartments) for a reported disturbance. A third-party 911 caller reported hearing what sounded like shuffling, crying, yelling, a dog whining and a statement similar to “don’t touch me!”, followed by complete silence.

Upon arrival of officers, an investigation ensued. It is alleged that a suspect killed his dog in a cruel and inhumane manner. The deceased dog is identified as an approximately 60-pound Bull-Terrier mix named Brutus. The suspect, who is well known to law enforcement in the region, was arrested.

Paluzzi was reportedly unsuccessful in finding anyone who would take Brutus or euthanize him (due to the dog being healthy). As a result, the suspect reportedly obtained fentanyl and then is alleged to have attempted to poison Brutus with the fentanyl. After this was unsuccessful in killing the animal, Paluzzi reportedly stabbed Brutus to death before leaving the apartment.

While police were within the apartment, Paluzzi returned and was taken into custody.

Patrol Officers, Detectives and Plymouth County BCI spoke with multiple individuals in the apartment and collected various evidence consistent with the reports. This evidence included locating the deceased dog with wounds consistent with the report, fresh blood and a set of bent grill prongs suspected to be the weapon utilized to stab Brutus. Also located on the suspect was a cigarette pack containing an off-white powdery residue (suspected fentanyl) as well as a red-brown stain around the suspect’s fingernail which was consistent with blood.