A Buckeye man was arrested and booked on animal cruelty charges after he killed and beheaded a woman's dog, according to the Buckeye Police Department.
According to police, the victim had her dog with her as she moved her belongings from the home where 21-year-old Jose Vega Meza also lived, which is near Baseline and Miller roads, to her new residence on Saturday. At one point, however, she lost track of her dog for a few hours.
Police say the victim and several of her friends who were there helping her move noticed Meza trying to sneak a box into the victim's truck. She opened the box to find her "dead, mutilated, headless dog inside," according to police. The victim told police Meza just laughed and smiled.
According to court documents, Meza was arrested Sunday and admitted to killing the dog. He told police he killed the dog because the victim owed his mom rent money.
He would not tell officers where the dog's head was but said he had also recently killed a cat, according to the documents.
The court documents revealed Meza told officers he had killed other animals around his neighborhood out of anger.
According to police, Meza assaulted another prisoner after arriving at the 4th Avenue Jail to be booked.
Meza was booked on two counts related to animal cruelty and one count of misdemeanor assault, Buckeye PD said.
