Naperville man accused of killing dog out of spite
A Naperville man has been charged with felony aggravated cruelty to an animal, accused of telling two children he was going to kill the family dog and then doing so.
Nathan J. Gonzalez, 36, of the 300 block of South Whispering Hills Drive, also is charged with two counts of endangering the life, health or safety of a child, according to DuPage County court records.
The charges allege that at 3 a.m. Sept. 29, Gonzalez told the children, ages 11 and 14, that he would kill Rocco, a Shih Tzu, and dispose of the dog at a construction site.
The 14-year-old called police around 6 a.m., saying Gonzalez told them he had killed the dog and was threatening to kill her and her sister, according to a prosecutor’s petition to have Gonzalez detained pretrial.
The 9-pound dog was found at a construction site the next day, according to the charges. The dog died of blunt-force injuries to its head, according to the petition.
Aggravated animal cruelty is a detainable offense under Illinois’ Pretrial Fairness Act. The petition also alleged that Gonzalez is a danger to specific people based on his criminal convictions and pending charges of domestic violence. A detention hearing began Tuesday and continues Wednesday.
According to the petition, Gonzalez and the children’s mother, who were in a relationship, had been out socializing in Chicago and got into an argument. They left in separate Uber rides. Gonzalez pleaded with her to come home via text. They texted back and forth.
In one text prosecutors presented in court, Gonzalez is alleged to have texted, “I don’t want to kill the poor (expletive) dog that’s home right now because I am angry at you. He doesn’t deserve this (expletive).”
According to the text chain, the woman then replied, “Kill everyone there. I don’t care.”
The children are in the custody of the Department of Children and Family Services.
The charges were filed on Monday.
Earlier this month, Gonzalez was charged with misdemeanor domestic battery. The charges allege that at 11 p.m. Oct. 2, he hit the woman twice with a baseball bat and took away her car keys and cellphone, thus preventing her from calling for help.