Man arrested for killing dogs told cops they ‘must have hung themselves’

Cops found two dogs hanging from a tree in a man's back garden in America, but when they asked him about the grim discovery, he claimed they'd somehow done it themselves

A man accused of killing his pet dogs found hanging from a tree in his back garden told police they “must have hung themselves”.

Salomon Cruz-Perez, 42, was held by cops who found two dead dogs dangling from makeshift nooses in his back yard in Florida, US.

A police report says the dogs were “hung by their necks, suspended off of the ground between two trees” and had straps around their necks “tied with multiple knots to rope and chain.”

He was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated animal cruelty resulting in death. When police questioned him, he said that the dogs “got tied up themselves.”

Cruz-Perez claimed that the animals had been on leashes in the front yard, but when he returned to the residence after getting food, he found the dogs “were already like that” in the backyard.

St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office said they were called on the evening of March 16 to an alleged case of animal cruelty in Fort Pierce, FL.

As deputies spoke to Cruz-Perez, they discovered two dogs, a male and a female, suspended by their necks from a tree, bound with various ropes and chains.

The Sheriff’s Office said in a statement: “Detectives obtained a search warrant, which was signed by a judge in the early morning hours of March 17.

“The investigation continued throughout the night with assistance from Crime Scene Investigators.

“Authorities found that the animals were bound around their necks with coaxial cable, paracord, tie-down straps, and chains.

“The deceased dogs were collected by St. Lucie County Animal Control and will be transported to Orlando for a necropsy. The necropsy will determine the cause, mode, and manner of death.”

Cruz-Perez complained that the dogs would “make a mess and destroy things inside of the residence,” according to the arrest affidavit.

He also accused one of the animals of trying to kill him, claiming that he fell on the concrete driveway after becoming entangled in the canine’s leash.

According to Animal Control officials, Cruz-Perez last week “attempted to surrender three animals, two adult dogs and a puppy.”

When told that he would have to pay for a veterinarian to euthanize the dogs, investigators say, Cruz-Perez “decided not to surrender the animals”, it was reported.

Cruz-Perez is currently being held at the St. Lucie County Jail while police continue their investigation. Bond was set at $10,000.

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