A Salt Lake City man has been charged with torturing a companion animal, according to court documents released Tuesday.
Vilani T. Suluka, 28, allegedly kicked a 4-month-old Labrador puppy in the throat to gain entry to an apartment located on the 2900 South block of 8400 West on Aug. 19. Suluka then grabbed the puppy by the neck and took it upstairs, according to a witness statement by Chariti Durrer.
Durrer heard the puppy yelping for approximately five minutes and there was silence.
When someone asked Suluka why he killed the puppy, the suspect said he was angry with the dog, according to the witness statement.
Durrer stated that Suluka and the dog owner, Alice Mila, put the puppy in a crate and left it outside – six hours later Mila buried the puppy in front of the apartment.
An Animal Services officer responded to the apartment Aug. 20 and spoke to Mila. According to the statement from the officer, Mila indicated she was the owner of the puppy and Suluka was the last person with the dog.
One of the officers unburied the puppy and it was taken to the Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Lab for a necropsy.
It was discovered that the puppy died because his lungs had blood/fluid in them and lungs collapsed because of the blood and free air around them, according to the animal services officer statement.
Suluka was charged with torturing a companion animal, a third-degree felony. Court officials ordered his arrest Sept. 16 with a bail set at $5,000.
