By Lydia Warren Updated:
A former Navy SEAL left devastated by the brutal slaying of his therapy dog has finally received justice after two men have been found guilty of the murder.
You are viewing: Who Shot Marcus Luttrell’s Dog
Marcus Luttrell was the only survivor of Operation Redwing, a SEAL operation in Afghanistan that left 19 American troops dead in 2005.
Badly wounded, he returned to be awarded the Navy Cross and the companionship of Labrador Retriever DASY to help with his rehabilitation.
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DASY’s name was an acronym of the initials of the veteran’s fallen comrades: Danny Dietz, Matthew ‘Axe’ Axelson, Southern boy – Luttrell’s nickname – and Michael ‘Yankee’ Murphy.
But in April 2009, Luttrell woke to the sound of a shot gun outside his home in Walker County, Texas.
He grabbed a pistol, checked on his mother who lived next door, and then ran to the road to find DASY shot dead through the shoulder.
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‘I saw my dog in a ditch and two men standing outside the car,’ Luttrell said. ‘I could hear them laughing.
‘I could tell she tried to get away because there was a blood trail. When I saw she was dead, the only thing that popped into my head was: “I’ve got to take these guys out.”’
Luttrell aimed a gun at the men, but decided not to shoot. Instead, he chased them at speeds of up to 100 mph across three counties. A patrol officer finally pulled them over.
Alfonso Hernandez, 24, was found guilty of cruelty to non-livestock animals, which carries a sentence of up to two years in a state facility and a $10,000 fine.
His accomplice Michael Edmonds, 21, pleaded guilty to the same charge and admitted he was the one who fired the shot that killed DASY.
Prosecutors believe the two men had previously killed several dogs in the area. They also revealed Hernandez kicked and beat the dog as it lay dying.
‘It’s just unimaginable how someone could do something like this to an innocent dog,’ Luttrell said. ‘I was just furious.’
On his Facebook page, Luttrell wrote: ‘Guilty…promised you DASY I would not give up on you, I know it took a while but we got it done. RIP DASY.’
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Luttrell was the only survivor of the SEAL team. Badly wounded, he managed to crawl seven miles to escape, killing six more Taliban fighters along the way.
He wrote a book about his experience called Lone Survivor, which became a New york Times bestseller.
Luttrell said he still wrestles with what he went through: ‘I don’t talk about it much. I just don’t sleep at night. I am in and out of the house all night, going, moving around.’
DASY was given to Luttrell as part of his rehabilitation – retrieving and carrying objects, helping with balance difficulties and alleviating stress.
‘It wasn’t just a pet, it meant more to me than anything,’ he told Fox News after the death. ‘I consider that dog like a daughter to me.’
Hernandez ‘got out and kicked and beat that dog and thought it was funny. They thought it was just another dog,’ Assistant District Attorney Stephanie Stroud during closing arguments.
‘To Marcus Luttrell it was so much more. It was a symbol he carried around for what happened to him. He was reminded of the people it was named after. To Marcus Luttrell that was just not another dog.’
Sentencing is expected to take place in February.
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Source: https://t-tees.com
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