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A Natchitoches man received the maximum sentence Wednesday for killing a small dog two years ago.
District Judge Desiree Duhon Dyess sentenced Zwerick Hudson, 42, to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Hudson was convicted of aggravated cruelty of animals after he mutilated and killed a small dog with his bare hands, Natchitoches Parish District Attorney Billy Joe Harrington said in a news release.
“This is one of the most egregious cases of animal cruelty I have seen in our parish. Usually animal cruelty cases relate to malnutrition or neglect. However, in this case, it involved an unprovoked violent and cruel attack on a harmless small dog in the presence of its owner,” said Harrington.
First Assistant District Attorney Cloyd Benjamin, Jr. and Assistant District Attorney Bray Williams prosecuted the case.