BRUTAL "TORTURE-KILLING" OF PET CALLS FOR HARSHEST PUNISHMENT!

    "Lucky" - a beautifully-marbled black-and-white pit bull - thought he had a loving home with his newly-adopted owner. Instead - Authur Vieira cruelly MUZZLED THE DOG, BOUND HIS LEGS, POURED LIGHTER FLUID onto the helpless animal - and SET HIM AFIRE for an EXCRUCIATING DEATH! 

     Virginia Beach Prosecutor David Laird intends to ask for the maximum penalty for Lucky’s brutal and senseless killing -- but Vieira and his attorney APPEAR to be setting the stage for a GREATLY REDUCED SENTENCE! COULD Lucky’s “admitted” killer walk away with a MERE slap on the wrist?!

     The shocking brutal death of this beloved family pet is so disturbing – on so many levels – that Vieira’s punishment MUST be HARSH and FITTING to the severity of the TORTURE and SUFFERING of the animal! The veterinarian who viewed Lucky's remains testified that animal was STILL ALIVE when set on fire. "I can tell you this animal suffered greatly," she stated. A seasoned animal-control officer called this “one of the worst cases” of animal brutality she’s seen – and questioned “what else” Vieira could be capable of doing!

     Lucky’s burnt remains were found last May when firefighters responded to what first appeared to be a brushfire, but pieces of muzzle and binding led investigators to delve deeper into the incident. They learned the gentle pit - previously named “Sheeba” - was a beloved pet of a family who could no longer keep him and who sought a new and loving owner for him on Craigslist. … SADLY for Sheeba – Vieira answered the ad! He morosely renamed the pet “Lucky.”

    Vieira claimed he thought the pet was dead before dousing him with lighter fluid and setting the fire – but both investigators and the veterinarian's necropsy PROVED that LUCKY WAS ALIVE when he was viscously set ablaze!

   Vieira pled “guilty” in Virginia Beach, Va. circuit-court this week to senselessly KILLING THE PET and faces sentencing by a judge January 13th. Sentencing could include up to 7 years’ imprisonment for the Class 6 Felony “torturing” of a companion animal and causing its death, misdemeanor “obstruction of justice” for providing false statements to investigators, and “littering” for disposing of the pet on private property.

     But Vieira only admitted culpability when faced with physical and irrefutable evidence! He initially denied any knowledge of the dog, but an I.D.-microchip led investigators to Lucky’s previous owner - who in turn led them to Vieira. VIEIRA'S FINGERPRINTS were also found on the accelerent container left near Lucky’s charred remains! 

     NOW Vieira attends counseling - in jail, assumably in keeping with Virginia's felony sentencing statutes that could compel a jury or judge to Impose mandatory anger management, or psychological/psychiatric counseling. Vieira, who has no previous arrests, also remains jailed without bond – which could fulfill the statue’s variable imprisonment guidelines! Additionally, Vieira was an active-duty seaman in the U.S. Navy, although discharged after his arrest.

     These combined factors could influence an emphatic judge to greatly MINIMALIZE VIEIRA' SENTENCE in a week’s time! Yet the crime itself DEMANDS that Viera receive the harshest possible sentence - and NOT ONLY as an example to others and for the future safety of other animals! ... Professionals cite such INHUMANE ACTS OF ANIMAL-BRUTALITY as a potential precurser to KILLING HUMAN BEINGS! 

     IF for no other reason – the sheer innocence and helplessness of Lucky himself requires that the Commonwealth of Virginia do the right thing - and impose the MAXIMUM PUNISHMENT, the greatest fines and other penalties, continued MANDATORY COUNSELING – and that Vieira be BANNED from “pet ownership” – for LIFE!

     PLEASE SIGN NOW - and SHARE! Lucky needs OUR voice!

(For related articles see: hamptonroads.com/2015/8/virginia-beach-dog-set-on-fire-had-been-listed-craigslist ; http://www.thedodo.com/adopted-pit-bull-craigslist-cruelty-case-1436879976.html )