BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — A Bakersfield man was convicted of animal cruelty and vandalism after stabbing his neighbor’s two dogs that were inside their fenced yard.
The Kern County District Attorney’s Office said on December 7, 2023, a Kern County jury found Vincent Martinez guilty of two counts of cruelty to animals and two counts of vandalism.
The jury also found the additional allegation true that Martinez personally used a deadly weapon.
The court found the additional allegation true that Martinez had been previously found guilty of a strike.
According to the DA’s office, on April 9, 2022, at around 8 p.m., the victim heard her dogs barking outside of her residence in east Bakersfield. The victim went outside and saw Bella, her 3-year-old dog, and Rosco, her 8-month-old dog, inside her fenced yard, barking at her neighbor, Vincent Martinez.
Martinez was standing next to her gate and rattling her fence. The DA’s office said Martinez told the victim, “You need to shut your dogs up, or I’m going to do it for you.”
Frightened, the victim went back inside her residence until she heard her dogs whimpering about two minutes later. The victim opened her door and saw that Bella had been stabbed in the neck and Rosco had been disemboweled, according to the DA’s office.
The victim called 911. Kern County Sheriff’s Deputies responded and located Martinez within minutes. The DA’s office said Martinez had a fixed-blade knife on him. Both sides of the knife had blood on it.
There was no evidence Bella or Rosco ever left their fenced yard, according to the DA’s office.
Deputies requested Kern County Animal Control respond to the scene.
The DA’s office said the victim held Rosco in her arms, Rosco’s tail wagging, when Rosco had to be euthanized due to the extent of his injuries. Bella survived but sustained life-long complications.
District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer commented on the conviction saying, “The law holds a special place – prison – for career criminals who kill and mutilate defenseless dogs. Today’s conviction ensures that Martinez faces the consequences of his inhumane actions, and serves to protect countless other animals from abuse at his hands.”
Martinez’s sentencing is set for January 24, 2024, where he faces up to eight years and eight months in prison.