Authorities in Arizona say a man was arrested on suspicion of brutally killing his roommate’s pet dog.
According to KPHO, 21-year-old Jose Vega Meza is accused of cutting the animal’s head off before attempting to hide its mutilated remains from the dog’s owner.
Police reports allege Vega Meza’s roommate saw him attempting to load a box into a truck and approached to ask him what was inside.
One neighbor said she witnessed the reaction when the woman found her dead pet inside, recalling that she “had like four or five people outside trying to calm her down and she couldn’t calm down.”
The victim was reportedly so distraught that she could not contact authorities that night, opting to wait until Sunday to report the incident. Officers were able to locate him a short time later.
Police indicate the victim was moving out of the home at the time of her dog’s death, the New York Post reported.
Upon his arrest, Vega Meza allegedly confessed to the crime, describing how he used string to bind the animal before cutting it with a razor blade. Beyond that, investigators claim he acknowledged it wasn’t his first such experience.
A separate neighbor told reporters that the residents of the home were not socially active in the community, adding that she and others who live nearby “kind of keep our distance because they are a little noisy and cause trouble.”
Reports show Vega Meza claimed his motive was the fact that the roommate owed back rent to his mother. Court records show he was booked into jail.
In addition to two criminal counts associated with the alleged animal cruelty, he is also expected to face an assault charge based on allegations that he attacked a fellow inmate while behind bars at the Fourth Avenue Jail.
[Featured image: Jose Vega Meza, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office]
