A repulsive case of dog abuse is in the spotlight as a jury will soon decide the fate of 79-year-old Albert Colburn of Dover, Delaware.
Colburn was formally charged with two counts of cruelty to animals after officials discovered two dead dogs and one malnourished dog on his property.
As the trial began, details of the gruesome discovery were revealed. Assistant County Attorney Patrick Conroy shared details of what happened after a concerned citizen phone the Middleton Police Department to report animal neglect.
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Conroy told the court it took firefighters 45 minutes to chip away at a block of ice in order to free one of the dogs.
During a necropsy of one of the deceased animals, Conroy said there were wood shavings in his mouth with no evidence of having eaten in ages.
“There was absolutely no food in her entire digestive tract,” Conroy stated.
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An Animal Control Officer and a patrolman who were on the scene described a dog named Magic Mike who was barking outside a kennel. On seeing the dog, they told Conroy he was “very skinny.”
Colburn’s attorney argues that the jury is not to morally judge anyone. Jurors will not be privy to information that Colburn was convicted of 11 counts of animal cruelty in 2010. He was banned from owning or caring for animals for three years at that time.
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Magic Mike has since been adopted to a caring person who renamed him Seamus. She was present in the courtroom for opening statements.
