We heartily applaud the maximum sentencing of Domingo Rodriguez, who was charged with animal cruelty for killing and decapitating Dexter, a dog he had adopted the same or the previous day. On February 21, 2025, Rodriguez was adjudicated guilty by a jury. He was sentenced to a year in jail, minus one day served, plus 60 days for callously dumping Dexter’s body in a public park, and ordered to pay $6,395 court cost and fine.

On May 14, 2024, deputies from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a dead dog wrapped in plastic at Fort Desoto Park. They found Dexter’s decapitated body floating in the mangroves. Scanning for a microchip led them to Domingo Rodriguez, who had adopted Dexter from Pinellas County Animal Services on May 10. Surveillance video showed him driving to Fort Desoto Park with a large cooler in the bed of his truck on May 11.

It’s as heartbreaking as it is unfair that Dexter got a second chance, only to be betrayed by the person who was supposed to love and care for him. As a result of his horrific death, lawmakers in Florida have introduced Dexter’s Law, which we’ll be supporting in the next month with an alert to Florida residents.

Shelters and rescues must be diligent in assessing adopters. Sadly, Rodriguez’s crime is not new to us. Low adoption fees and the desire to see dogs and cats out of the shelters, unfortunately, do not protect them from evil adopters with cruel intentions.

We launched an alert and later sent a letter with the signatures of 14,689 In Defense of Animals supporters to Judicial Circuit State Attorney Bruce Bartlett seeking maximum sentencing in this case. He didn’t disappoint, nor did Pinellas County Judge Keith Meyer.

While we would have chosen a maximum sentence of five years for a felony conviction, we are satisfied that he has been given the misdemeanor maximum of 1 year in jail, plus the maximum fine of $5,000 and court costs. 

Please help animals like Dexter by getting more involved and donating to support our work.