Jan. 23, 2008
A Long Island man who allegedly left his dog to die after setting it on fire was sentenced to two years in prison in a Riverhead court on Jan. 22.
Derick Phanord, 22, received the maximum sentence for the brutal killing of his pit bull. The dog, who rescuers renamed "Maximus," was discovered July 12 tied to a tree with severe burns covering most of his body. Authorities said the dog smelled of gasoline.
Phanord pleaded guilty in November to one charge of aggravated cruelty to animals, admitting that he tied the dog to the tree, doused him with gasoline, and incinerated him with a lit cigarette.
Maximus underwent three surgeries before he succumbed to his injuries on July 17.
"I am not a monster. I am a good guy," Phanord said, weeping in the Suffolk county court right before his sentencing. Judge C. Randall Hinrichs gave the self-proclaimed animal lover the maximum penalty, calling his actions "incomprehensible."
Phanord was also charged with one count of misdemeanor cruelty to animals, which he will serve along with the felony charge. In addition to the prison term, Phanord can have no further contact with his other pit bull, Red.
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