Mentally ill man sentenced to 8 years in prison for stabbing two dogs, one fatally
Fort Worth Star-TelegramJan 29, 2019
Though only charged in the two dog stabbings, officials say
"Many people think of their pets as part of the family, and our society does not condone cruel treatment of any living thing," said
Hilliard's attorney,
"Harrison has had two strikes against him since he was a young boy," Barnett said. "Growing up, he was never able to connect with people socially, never had any friends, and was often treated very unkindly by peers. While there is no excuse for animal cruelty, Harrison's developmental disorder and mental health issues certainly played a large part in his mental state when he committed the acts to which he pled guilty."
The dog stabbings occurred in
The dogs' owners heard a cry on the night of
Ely had suffered multiple stab wounds. She was taken to a veterinarian but had to be euthanized, Dobson said.
Three days later, the family realized that their other dog, named Leela, had also been stabbed once in the back above her tail.
Hilliard was arrested by
He was later released on bond and ordered on 24-hour home confinement until he could be entered into a mental health inpatient facility, court records show.
Hilliard was later jailed off and on due to violations, including not charging his GPS monitor.
During one of the several-hour periods when his GPS monitor was dead, the bodies of several dead cats and opossums were found by police a block away from his home, the
Dobson had been appointed special prosecutor in the case in July after the
"Without their hard work, we would not have gotten such a good outcome in this case," she said.
Dobson had filed a notice of intent to introduce in Hilliard's trial some of those other alleged animal cruelty acts and other bizarre behavior by Hilliard.
That included, according to the notice, Hilliard asking a woman at church for a date, then later sending harassing and threatening messages to her family and friends on Facebook when she rejected him. He also allegedly set fire to another woman's home.
As part of the plea agreement, the state will not to prosecute Hilliard for any of the offenses listed as part of the extraneous notice.
Barnett, Hilliard's attorney, said Hilliard pleaded guilty in the case "to take responsibility and put this all behind him."
Hilliard will have to serve at least a quarter of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
Barnett said he is hopeful that Hilliard will be granted parole and be able to get the treatment he needs.
"As the parent of a special needs child, this case demonstrates to me how critical it is to help those with a mental illness get the treatment and support that they need at the earliest opportunity," Barnett said. "It also showed me how powerful it can be to treat others with kindness, especially those that are different from us. I believe that Harrison's life could have been very different with early and regular intervention and if others had befriended him despite his social differences instead of ridiculing and isolating him."
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