On March 29, Merjil, 41, reportedly bludgeoned the dog with an axe after the
animal bit the woman and she began to bleed. Merjil faces one count of felony cruelty to an animal and one
count of felony cruelty to another person's animal, due to confusion over
who is Titan's actual guardian. If he is convicted, please pursue maximum
penalties under the law, including the three-year jail term for this crime.
On March 29, Merjil, 41, reportedly bludgeoned the dog with an axe after the
animal bit the woman and she began to bleed. Merjil faces one count of felony cruelty to an animal and one count of felony cruelty to another person's animal, due to confusion over who is Titan's actual guardian. Amid the commotion--which
likely contributed to the dog's anxiety--Merjil declared, "Enough is enough." He then grabbed an axe and hacked Titan repeatedly until the dog died.
As you may know, mental health professionals and leading law enforcers recognize animal abuse as an overt clue to hostile and antisocial behavior. The American Psychiatric Association identifies animal cruelty as a key trait for conduct disorders. A MSPCA and Northeastern University study found 70% of animal abusers had amassed one or more unrelated crimes and nearly 40% had committed violent crimes against people.
Animal abusers like Merjil are commonly linked with domestic violence. Men
prosecuted for animal cruelty are five times as likely to be arrested for other violent crimes, according to extensive research by Frank Ascione, Utah State University professor of family and human development. Fifty-four percent of women at domestic abuse shelters say their partners abused or killed companion animals.
If he is convicted, please pursue maximum penalties under the law, including the three-year jail term for this crime. Please also see that this man has madatory
psychological testing and counseling to follow and that he never be permitted to
have animals in his possession.
