- Pennsylvania, Florida, USA -
~ Update: April 15, 2022
On Thursday, April 14, after a 3-day trial, a Luzerne County jury “decided for compassion over animal cruelty” in finding 30-years-old DENNIS JOSEPH BLANCHETTE (pictured) not guilty of strangling his dog to death, reports Times Leader.
The murderer stood trial before Judge David W. Lupas on charges he choked his 3-year-old Husky mix named Sky to death on August 19, 2019.
BLANCHETTE has always maintained that Sky was sick and he could not afford to seek veterinary care.
As reported by Times Leader, the defense strategy of BLANCHETTE’s attorney, Nicole Thompson Lermitte, was to blame veterinary hospitals for wanting cash up front to provide medical care for Sky and the SPCA of Luzerne County for refusing to help.
While Lermitte argued that her client was financially broke and was not able to euthanize Sky, assistant district attorneys Julian Truskowski and Gerry Scott argued BLANCHETTE ignored the legal way of euthanizing a sick dog by making an illegal choice of strangulation.
Truskowski told jurors in his opening statement: “Sky was fighting as Sky was being choked. It took five to seven minutes for Sky to pass away.”
Truskowski also pointed out that the trial was not about the SPCA, but the actions of BLANCHETTE strangling his dog and rightfully said: “Just because you’re poor does not give you the right to strangle your dog.”
Thursday’s verdict marked the second time animal cruelty charges were dismissed against BBLANCHETTE.
While the murderer was cleared on animal cruelty charges, he remains jailed on $250,000 bail related to an alleged robbery in Plymouth on July 20, 2019, and an unrelated theft case in Kingston.
I would love to know what kinds of people were in the jury and how they sleep at night!!!
Additional Source:
~ Original story:
On August 19, 2019, 27-year-old DENNIS JOSEPH BLANCHETTE (pictured below), strangled to death his 3-year-old Husky mix named Sky and then buried the furbaby in the backyard of his home on South Meade Street in Wilkes-Barre.
When this human trash was questioned by the authorities, he said that his dog had no appetite, had stopped eating and was suffering from vomiting and diarrhea.
BLANCHETTE then said that he could not afford to take his dog to be checked out by a vet, so he took it upon himself to strangle the dog.
According to charges filed by the SPCA of Luzerne County, this murderer admitted he “choked the dog out.”
On August 22, a humane officer recovered the dog from a shallow grave in the backyard.
According to court documents, BLANCHETTE took his dog to the SPCA and the furbaby vomited in the lobby.
Staff told him to take the dog to a veterinary hospital but had no money to pay for medical care.
On September 9, 2019, a humane officer charged BLANCHETTE with felony and misdemeanor animal cruelty offenses, BUT ON SEPTEMBER 19, AT A PRELIMINARY HEARING, MAGISTERIAL DISTRICT JUDGE DAVID A. BARILLA DISMISSED THE CASE!!!
After a second criminal complaint was dismissed due to a legal technicality, the SPCA filed a third complaint against BLANCHETTE on November 21.
In November 2019, news outlets were reporting that BLANCHETTE was being sought by police for committing a robbery.
BLANCHETTE was on the run from the police and the SPCA.
On January 27, 2020, BLANCHETTE was apprehended by Boynton Beach police in Palm Beach County on fugitive from justice warrants from Pennsylvania.
The Citizens’ Voice reports that on Wednesday, September 16, 2020, BLANCHETTE was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Thomas F. Malloy Sr. on felony animal cruelty charges.
This human trash was ordered jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility with bail set at $25,000.
Judge Malloy ordered BLANCHETTE held at the county jail pending a preliminary hearing which is scheduled for September 22.
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Details may be removed or additional information may be provided in future should such sources report an update.
Additional Sources:
This verdict by a Luzerne County jury translates to murdering ones animals is okay as long as one is poor! So I take it, if one is poor, one also doesn’t have to feed one’s animals. In Luzerne County being poor is a free ticket to dish animal abuse out by the pounds! WTF is wrong with these morons!? It is not okay to murder ones pets!! I concur with the author of Voice For Us, how do you sleep at night?! RIP SKY! This EFFING POS Dennis Blanchette wasn‘t even ordered NOT to get another pet! I hope every time he closes his his eyes, he sees SKY’s eyes!