A former Navy seaman has pleaded guilty to burning his dog alive earlier this year. Arthur Vieira, from Virginia, pleaded
guilty to charges of torturing a companion animal, obstruction of
justice and littering, on Monday.
The 27-year-old admitted tying together the pit bull’s legs, muzzling her snout and setting the animal alight. Fire-fighters discovered the dog’s charred
remains in woods near Virginia Beach Boulevard on May 29, following
reports of a fire.
The dog, called Lucky, was still alive
when someone poured lighter fluid on her back and set fire to her,
according to a necropsy on the body.
Lucky’s previous owner, Amanda Joe, had
adopted the pit bull from the Peninsula SPCA and named her Sheeba, an
investigation found.
Ms Joe then posted an advert on Craigslist
about a year and a half later, because she could no longer afford to
take care of her. Vieira responded to Joe’s ad, taking the pet off her free of charge, and renamed her Lucky, WTVR reports.
