explodingboy

The following article appeared in the Denver Post In April of 2001.

A 35-pound basset hound was beaten until partially paralyzed and, weeks later, mutilated and set on fire in Torrington, a southeastern Wyoming community of 5,800.

The Torrington veterinarian who treated the animal, Dr. Stephen Kerr, called the slaying of the dog named Dexter “the worst case of animal abuse I’ve ever seen” in 20 years of practice.

A suspect, Travis L. Wilson, 20, pleaded not guilty to charges of cruelty to animals, interference with a police officer and unlawful possession of marijuana during his arraignment last week, said the Goshen County court clerk’s office.

Wilson was a fellow student at Eastern Wyoming College with the dog’s owner, a young woman from out of state.

Goshen County Sheriff Don Murphy said “other charges” against Wilson are pending. He declined to discuss the reason for Wilson’s alleged attack on the dog.

Murphy “recognized the gravity of the situation” and quickly transported Dexter’s legless, partially cremated remains to the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory in Laramie shortly after the remains were hurled onto the driveway of his owner, Kerr said.

Lab veterinarian Dr. Todd Cornish said the investigation is still in progress.

“All four of his legs were cut off - probably before the dog was burned,” Cornish said. “We are still determining the cause of death,” meaning they don’t know if the dog was burned alive. He expects to give Murphy a full report on Dexter’s killing by the end of the week.

Kerr remembers the dog’s arrival after the first beating Feb. 16. His right side was paralyzed, he was bleeding internally and he had brain injuries from being beaten about the mouth and head, “but he still managed to wag his tail and kiss care providers,” Kerr said.

After the dog returned home, authorities said someone took the animal from the female student’s home and kept it for a while. The burned remains were hurled onto her driveway in mid-March.

Kerr says it appears the person who took Dexter from his owner’s home kept Dexter alive for a while, based on his stomach contents.

Kerr said it is erative that Torrington residents be aware of the heinous nature of the crime because many people who become mass murderers “usually have some animal abuse in their early history.” A spokeswoman for the Denver Dumb Friends League agreed.

The Boston Strangler, Jeffrey Dahmer and Son of Sam were all among the documented cases of convicted killers who abused animals in their youth, spokeswoman Lani Kian said.

“Regardless of whether they move from animal abuse to abusing humans, it is still unacceptable and atrocious that anyone would harm an animal,” Kian said.

This is the follow up article:

Travis Wilson, 20, showed no emotion as the sentence was read. After allowing him 45 minutes with his family, the judge ordered Wilson jailed. Two deputies and Sheriff Don Murphy escorted him away.

Wilson also was sentenced to 14 months’ supervised probation and treatment. He could face an additional two to five years for burglary in the the kidnapping of Dexter, his former girlfriend’s basset hound, prosecutors said.

Dexter was beaten in February, and the dog’s dismembered, burned remains were tossed onto the property of Dexter’s owner in mid-March in Torrington. Wilson, a college dropout, had dated Dexter’s owner briefly.

Circuit Court Judge Randal Arp also stipulated that Wilson avoid any contact with his former girlfriend, Colleen Murphy, and Dan Peterson, who testified against him after watching Wilson beat Dexter for at least 15 minutes.

Wilson also cannot have contact with any animals, according to his sentence.

“A crime of this nature needs to be addressed” through evaluation and treatment, Joanne Wolf, a psychotherapist who works with abusers, told the court.

FBI profiles show that animal abusers in childhood and early adulthood often continue the violent behavior, said Wolf, executive director the Aurora Center for Treatment.

“Minimally, he should be evaluated to know what we are dealing with,” she said.

Wilson’s mother, Dainette Evans, and stepfather, Jim Evans, testified about Wilson’s troubled youth, saying he didn’t follow up on therapeutic treatment and was unwilling to follow orders or regularly take medication for depression and a bipolar condition.

The Goshen County district attorney’s office received more than 1,100 letters and 300 phone calls from as far away as Australia and Europe about the case. Officials expected the small courtroom to be filled with animal rights activists and victims’ rights advocates.

But only one animal rights activist, Tracy Rutherford of Boulder, made the trip. She said she was satisfied with the sentence but disappointed that more people hadn’t made the journey.