Man Sentenced For Beating Mini Poodle to Near Death
By Amber Nolan…
Armando Corzo Jr. was found guilty of aggravated animal cruelty and on Friday, July 27, he was sentenced to three years in a Florida State prison and two years of probation for beating a small dog within inches of its life.
According to police reports, Armando Corzo Jr. was intoxicated and left alone with Ammeretta, the 5-year old miniature poodle, for about 30 to 45 minutes while waiting for his girlfriend, Teresa Alo, to return from work. When she returned, she found the dog “lifeless on the floor.”
Her neighbor, Mandy Morris, stated that Corzo said, “Do you like how I reprimanded these dogs now?” She also said that Teresa came outside with the dog in her arms bleeding from the mouth and the eye while screaming for help. The witness also stated in reports that Corzo said, “F*ck these dogs!”
Ammeretta was taken to the veterinary hospital, and according to reports, the veterinarian described her injuries as “signs of horrific trauma in that several teeth were broken off, several teeth knocked out completely, and that her eye was swollen and bleeding.”
Deputies inspected the apartment and found blood splatter on the floor and walls.
The report also states that the dog was not expected to live, and that the veterinarian “agreed that the injuries the dog sustained could be consistent with being thrown, kicked or [caused by] severe impact with a blunt object.”
Corzo had chosen to represent himself up until the verdict. He then obtained a defense council.
At Friday’s sentencing hearing, the Court heard a motion for a new trial on behalf of Corzo. He claimed that the blood splatters at the scene had never been tested to be dog blood. The motion was denied. Prosecutors were seeking the 5-year maximum sentence, but Teresa Alo, Ammeretta’s owner stated she felt justice was served, although her dog would never be the same.
