Warning: This article contains graphic content.
According to Asheville, NC’s NBC affiliate WYFF, a female dog was killed after a stranger approached her and violently stabbed her to death at Weaver Park, police say.
Authorities have confirmed that 43-year-old James Wesley Henry walked up to the dog — an 11-year old Golden Retriever mix, named Beignet — and grabbed the dog by her throat. He then repeatedly stabbed and slashed the pet to death.
Beignet’s parent, Liesbeth Mackie, was playing pickleball at the time of the attack. Shortly after Asheville Police arrived at the scene, Henry was quickly identified, arrested, and charged with felony cruelty to animals.
As one would expect, the devastating and tragic loss left Mackie at a loss for words. “I’m too raw to speak with you on or off camera,” Mackie told the news outlet.
“I can’t get the image out of my head”
Mackie told Asheville Watchdog that Beignet was “peacefully lying in the shade” and tied to a long leash when Henry approached. “Then my (pickleball) partner said, ‘Someone’s beating your dog,'” Mackie said.
Another witness, Eric Hulin, couldn’t believe what he was seeing at first. Initially, he heard commotion, then thought Henry was punching the beloved dog. “I turned and looked at the dog, and saw its last couple of yelps and twitches,” Hulin stated. “It was covered in blood. There was blood everywhere. It took me a moment because I wasn’t sure what happened.” He added, “I can’t get the image out of my head.”
After the attack, Hulin, and another man at the park, Zen Sutherland, chased Henry down to a local restaurant. Sutherland stated that Henry was “yelling at himself, or the world or the injustices of life or whatever.”
Asheville Police Speak Out After Dog Was Killed
“The guy killed the dog with a knife, basically eviscerating it,” Asheville Police Capt. Michael Lamb said. “[W]hether it’s mental health, addiction or both, we have seen a lot of that erratic behavior around town,” Lamb continued, adding that these occurrences are “starting to seemingly spread out.”
