Charge: Glendale Hts. man stabbed pet bird to death

After suddenly attacking his roommate, David Hritz threw his own pet cockatiel against a wall and then stabbed it to death, authorities said Monday. The 39-year-old Glendale Heights man was being held on $30,000 bail, charged with domestic battery and aggravated cruelty to an animal.

Officers responded to his home on the 1200 block of Glen Ellyn Road about 10 p.m. Saturday for a report of a physical altercation.

Police said Hritz repeatedly punched his female roommate in the head and body before throwing his pet cockatiel against a wall and then fatally stabbing it with a small pocket knife. The 38-year-old woman sustained a bloody nose and scratches but declined medical treatment.

Police Sgt. Doug Flint said there was no clear motive for the attack.

“It looks like he just flipped out,” Flint said.

DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said studies have shown a correlation between intentional animal abuse and domestic violence.

“The charges in this case are particularly disturbing in that they allege the beating of a fellow human being and the intentional killing of a pet,” Berlin said in a news release.

DuPage court records show Hritz has served jail time for theft and drug possession. He appeared in bond court Sunday and would have to post $3,000 to be released.

His next court date is Sept. 6 in front of Judge Robert Kleeman.