West Islip Man Sentenced to Jail for the Beating Death of Aunt’s Dog
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Peter Minichello, 22, of West Islip, was sentenced to four months in jail followed by five years of probation and received a lifetime ban on owning animals after pleading guilty to beating his aunt’s five-year-old Chihuahua-mix dog named “Pup-Pup,” resulting in severe physical injuries that caused its death.
“What this defendant put an innocent animal through is as shocking as it is deplorable,” said District Attorney Tierney. “A dog’s love is unconditional, and my heart goes out to the defendant’s aunt who lost a beloved companion.”
According to court documents and the defendant’s admissions during his guilty plea allocution, on July 6, 2022, Minichello was left home alone with Pup-Pup while his mother and aunt were at work. When Minichello’s aunt returned home, she saw Pup-Pup inside of his crate, not moving and covered in blood and bruises. When Minichello’s mother and aunt left earlier that morning for work, Pup-Pup was healthy and had no apparent injuries. The aunt sought medical attention for Pup-Pup, but he died days later.
Further investigation revealed that Pup-Pup sustained extensive injuries including multiple broken ribs, blunt force trauma to the head and body, and a penetrating wound to the elbow. He ultimately died due to a traumatic brain injury.
On June 13, 2024, Minichello pleaded guilty to all of the charges contained within the indictment including Aggravated Cruelty to Animals, a Class E felony, and Criminal Mischief in the Third Degree, a Class E felony, before Acting Supreme Court Justice Richard I. Horowitz.
On August 19, 2024, Justice Horowitz sentenced Minichello to four months in jail followed by five years of probation. Justice Horowitz also ordered that the defendant be banned from owning or possessing any animals for the rest of his life. Minichello was represented by Pierre Bazile, Esq.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Annemarie DiBlasio and Ashley Stapleton of the Biological, Environmental, and Animal Safety Team (“BEAST”), and the investigation was conducted by Detective Alexandra Breyer and the Suffolk County Police Department’s Third Squad.
Criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusatory instruments. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. No one is above the law.