Man accused of torturing puppy in Magna

A man is accused of torturing and killing a puppy in Magna.

In charges filed Monday, officers wrote that a neighbor near 3000 South and 8400 West saw the man kick the 4-month-old Labrador in the throat to get it inside an apartment. The man then grabbed the puppy by the neck and took it upstairs, officers wrote.

The neighbor then heard slamming and the puppy yelping for about 5 minutes before the puppy fell silent. The man went downstairs and said he had killed the puppy because he was angry with it, officers wrote.

He and a woman put the puppy in a crate and left it outside for about 6 hours until it was buried in front of the apartment, investigators wrote. The woman later showed animal control officers where the puppy was buried.

The body was exhumed; a lab exam showed the puppy died because his lungs had blood and fluid in them, and his lungs collapsed because of blood and "free air" around them.

The man, 28, was charged with third-degree felony torture of a companion animal.

ealberty@sltrib.com

Twitter: @erinalberty