Court Opinion

ID: 9750683
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-28 15:21:08.516929+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:26:17.960270
License: Public Domain

DISSENTING OPINION BY
STEVENS, J.:
¶ 1 Appellant’s ex-husband, John Knel-ler, adopted a dog, Bouta, while the couple was married, and Appellant kept Bouta while Mr. Kneller was serving a prison term for physically abusing Appellant.16 N.T. 9/15/06 at 285-286. After Mr. Knel-ler was released from prison, Appellant requested that Mr. Kneller retrieve Bouta; however, Mr. Kneller refused to do so. N.T. 9/15/06 at 286. On March 24, 2006, Appellant handed a gun to her boyfriend, co-defendant Randy Miller, with instructions to kill Bouta. N.T. 9/15/06 at 165.
¶ 2 In response, Miller tied up Bouta and hit him five or six times with the metal end of the shovel. N.T. 9/15/06 at 84, 147. Witnesses said Bouta was whimpering and crying in response to the malicious beating inflicted by Miller, and several witnesses yelled at Miller to stop beating Bouta. N.T. 9/15/06 at 84-85, 109. At that point, Miller used the gun to shoot and kill Bou-ta. N.T. 9/15/06 at 85,147.
*502¶ 3 A witness called the state police, and as witnesses returned to the scene where Bouta lay dead in a pile of dirt, Appellant and Miller also returned to the scene. In Appellant’s presence, Miller told a witness to go home and “he said if I told anyone about the incident, he would find out where I lived and he would kill me.” N.T. 9/15/06 at 112. The witness testified that he was afraid. N.T. 9/15/06 at 112.
¶ 4 Shortly after the incident, a trooper questioned Appellant, who admitted she supplied Miller with a pistol and asked him to kill the dog. N.T. 9/15/06 at 165, 174. Appellant stated the reason she asked Miller to kill Bouta was because the dog had bitten her child. N.T. 9/15/06 at 165. The trooper did not view the child or otherwise confirm the child had, in fact, been bitten by Bouta. N.T. 9/15/06 at 183-184. The child was not taken to the hospital or treated by a doctor with regard to an alleged animal bite. N.T. 9/15/06 at 219. In fact, there is no evidence of record, other than Appellant’s and her co-defendant’s self-serving statements which the jury did not find credible, that the child was bitten by Bouta.
¶ 5 At trial, Dr. Dawn Mriss, a veterinarian at the Leighton Animal Hospital, testified that the wounds to Bouta’s skull ranged from one-half to two inches deep, actually penetrating the skull, and were two inches in length. N.T. 9/15/06 at 52-53. Dr. Mriss further testified that the wounds would have been extremely painful to Bouta and that serious force was used to inflict the wounds. N.T. 9/15/06 at 53-55. Dr. Mriss concluded that Bouta died from blunt force trauma to the head and from the bullet wound. N.T. 9/15/06 at 55.
¶ 6 A jury found Appellant guilty of Criminal Conspiracy-Cruelty to Animals, and Miller was found guilty of Terroristic Threats and Cruelty to Animals. In upholding Appellant’s conviction, the learned trial judge applied the Cruelty to Animals statute, 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 5511(a)(2.1).
¶ 7 The Majority opinion reverses Appellant’s conviction finding the applicable statutes to be “ambiguous”17 and, therefore, under the rule of lenity, concludes the ¶ statutes cannot be used to criminalize Appellant’s actions. The Concurring opinion finds that the statutes are not ambiguous; however, the Concurring Opinion concludes that the Crimes Code and Dog Law, when read together, clearly permit an owner to shoot her dog after it has bitten her child.18
¶ 8 I respectfully dissent from the Majority and agree with the Concurring opinion only to the extent that the statutes are not ambiguous. For reasons discussed infra, I would affirm the decision of the jury and trial court and uphold the conviction of Appellant.
¶ 9 The Cruelty to Animals statute states, in relevant part:
§ 5511. Cruelty to animals
(a) Killing, maiming or poisoning domestic animals or zoo animals, etc.—
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(2.1)(i) A person commits a misdemeanor of the first degree if he willfully and maliciously:
(A) Kills, maims, mutilates, tortures or disfigures any dog or cat, whether belonging to himself or otherwise....
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*503(iii) The killing of a dog or cat by the owner of that animal is not malicious if it is accomplished in accordance with the act of December 22, 1983 (P.L. 303, NO. 83),19 referred to as the Animal Destruction Method Authorization Law.
18 Pa.C.S.A. § 5511(a)(2.1)(i)(A), (iii) (bold in original) (footnote in original).
¶ 10 The clear, unambiguous language of the Cruelty to Animals statute indicates that it is a crime to “kill, maim, mutilate, torture, or disfigure a dog....” While Subsection 5511(a)(2.1)(iii) indicates malice will not be found if the dog is killed in accordance with the Animal Destruction Method Authorization Law, it is clear that Bouta was not shot in accordance therewith.
¶ 11 Appellant maintains that the Animal Destruction Method Authorization Law allows the owner of a pet dog to kill her dog with a firearm, for any reason or for no reason, and therefore, she cannot be convicted of conspiracy to commit cruelty to animals in this particular case. In discussing the methods of destruction of an animal, the Animal Destruction Method Authorization Law indicates that “[n]oth-ing in this act shall prevent a person or humane society organization from destroying a pet animal by means of firearms.” 3 P.S. § 328.2(a).
¶ 12 However, this portion of the Law relates solely to the manner in which a pet animal may be humanely destroyed when destruction is warranted, as when a policeman, constable, magistrate, or trial court determines that an abused animal is “injured, disabled, diseased past recovery, or unfit for any useful purpose” under 3 P.S. §§ 325 and 326. As there is no evidence Bouta was “injured, disabled, diseased past recovery, or unfit for any useful purpose” at the time this incident occurred, malice was not negated under the Animal Destruction Method Authorization Law.
¶ 13 Moreover, the “Dog Law,” 3 P.S. §§ 459-101 et seq., does not provide a defense in this case. Subsection 459-501 of the Dog Law indicates, in relevant part, that:
§ 459-501. Killing dogs; dogs as nuisances
(a) Legal to kill certain dogs. — Any person may kill any dog which he sees in the act of pursuing or wounding or killing any domestic animal, wounding or killing other dogs, cats or household pets, or pursuing, wounding or attacking human beings, whether or not such a dog bears the license tag required by the provisions of this act. There shall be no liability on such persons in damages or otherwise for such killing.
3 P.S. § 459-501(a) (bold in original).
¶ 14 As Subsection 459-501(a) indicates, there are enumerated instances in which an owner may humanely use a firearm to kill a healthy dog. For example, if a person sees the dog “in the act of pursuing, wounding or attacking human beings ...” 3 P.S. § 459-501. This statute is not ambiguous, and none of the enumerated instances were proven in this case.
¶ 15 Similar to the Concurring opinion, I respectfully disagree with the Majority’s sweeping policy conclusion that the “entire Dog Law is ambiguous as to whether a dog owner can kill his dog by means of a firearm.” Majority Opinion at ¶4 (footnote omitted). There is nothing in the law to suggest that the legislative intent was to give carte blanche authority of a dog owner to kill her dog for any reason or no reason. Rather, the clear language of Subsection 459-501 (a) indicates that the legislative intent was that a healthy dog *504may be killed when it pursues, wounds, or attacks human beings or other domestic animals or household pets.
¶ 16 However, unlike the Concurring opinion, I disagree with the presumption that the evidence establishes Appellant directed Bouta be shot because he bit a child, which may fall within the ambit of Subsection 459-501(a). In this case, the only evidence presented regarding Bouta biting a child was Appellant’s and her co-defendant’s own self-serving testimony. The investigating trooper did not view the child, and the child was not examined by a medical professional.
¶ 17 Clearly, this was a credibility issue decided by the jury against Appellant, and therefore, to the extent the Dog Law permits the killing of a dog, which is in the act of pursuing, wounding, or attacking a human being, such is inapplicable to this case.
¶ 18 Here, there is no question on the issue of malice under the Cruelty to Animals statute. The jury found that Miller willfully and maliciously killed Bouta by smashing Bouta’s skull with a shovel and then shooting Bouta. While Appellant testified she did not give the gun to Miller or specifically ask that he kill Bouta, the state police officer testified that Appellant made such an admission to him.
¶ 19 The jury made credibility determinations and concluded that Appellant: 1) instructed Miller to kill Bouta; 2) supplied him with the gun; 3) returned to the scene of the shooting with Miller, who in the presence of Appellant, threatened to kill an eyewitness; 4) offered no credible proof that Bouta had injured a human or another animal; and 5) wanted Bouta shot as revenge against her ex-husband.20
¶ 20 The jury heard testimony that Bou-ta belonged to Appellant’s ex-husband, who had physically abused Appellant and refused Appellant’s requests to retrieve Bouta. Thus, the jury could reasonably infer that Appellant wanted Bouta shot as revenge against her ex-husband, especially in the absence of credible evidence that Appellant’s child was bitten by Bouta.
¶21 In summary, I conclude the elements of the crime of Cruelty to Animals under 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 5511(a)(2.1)(i)(A) have been met, and the malice element was not negated under 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 5511 (a)(2.1)(iii) since the killing of Bouta was not accomplished in accordance with the Animal Destruction Method Authorization Law or Dog Law. As discussed swpra, while the law permits owners to use firearms to destroy their dogs under certain circumstances, the jury was permitted to find such circumstances were not present in this case. As such, I determine Appellant can be found guilty as a co-conspirator in violating the Cruelty to Animals statute, and therefore, the jury’s verdict should be upheld.
¶ 22 A sweeping policy conclusion that a dog owner can shoot a healthy, happy dog for no reason is not justifiable under the law, does not comport with the legislature’s statutory scheme, is no defense to the crime of Cruelty to Animals, and would replace the call of “Lassie, come home” with “Lassie, run for your life.”
¶23 Therefore, under the specific facts presented in this case, I would affirm the *505decision of the trial court, and as such, I dissent.

. Appellant specifically testified she "didn't have a very good relationship with [her ex-]husband and he was a very aggressive person." N.T. 9/15/06 at 288.

. As discussed infra, the Majority takes sections of the relevant statutes out of context and not in accordance with the statutory scheme; thus, the Majority finds ambiguity.

. The Concurring opinion accepts as fact that Appellant's child was bitten by Bouta but points to nothing in the record to support this conclusion.

. 3 P.S. § 328.1 et seq.

. See Commonwealth v. Lambert, 795 A.2d 1010 (Pa.Super.2002) (holding criminal conspiracy is sustained where the Commonwealth establishes the defendant entered into an agreement to commit or aid in an unlawful act with another person with a shared criminal intent and an overt act was done in furtherance of the conspiracy; a co-conspirator may commit the overt act and conspirators are liable for acts of the co-conspirators committed in furtherance of the conspiracy).