- Maricopa County, Arizona, USA -
On Monday, September 23, at Maricopa County Superior Court, 29-year-old MARVIN JOE STANCILE was denied bond after being accused of stomping a puppy to death at a Family Dollar Store in Phoenix near 67th Avenue and Indian School Road on February 23.
The officer who responded to February’s incident, Officer Daniel Provenzo took the stand.
He said about the pup: “(It was) laying there lifeless, it had blood coming from its snout and wasn't moving at all."
STANCILE’s public defender argued that although there is a video showing the pup following his client around the store and outside, there is no video evidence proving that the defendant killed the puppy.
The commissioner, on the other hand, said there was sufficient evidence to believe that the accused "did intentionally cruelly mistreat the animal" and denied him bond.
eu.azcentral.com reports that some of STANCILE’s family members say that the decision to deny bond is too harsh. STANCIEL’s sisters said that their brother’s mental health was not taken into account which they said caused the incident.
STANCILE is not facing only animal cruelty charges, he is also facing other charges in different cases: drug possession, forgery, robbery, and DUI.
Right after the pup died, STANCILE went into the Family Dollar Store and allegedly attacked an employee. He then fled the scene.
ABC 15 reports that he was caught after a foot chase but not before fighting the police.
The trial starts in October.
