Robert Leroy Edwards: Texas man hangs veteran’s support dog with electrical cord for barking. Had lived at Florida residence less than a week.
If a mugshot could tell a million billion words. A Texas man has been accused of hanging a disabled veteran’s emotional support dog with an electrical cord —after becoming annoyed by the animal’s barking.
Robert Leroy Edwards, 38, was renting a room in a Manatee County, Florida home belonging to disabled Navy vet Richard Hunt’s adult son when the alleged incident occurred early Wednesday, WFLA reported.
Just after midnight, Edwards is purported to have become enraged after Hunt’s 6 year old, emotional support dog, began to bark– leading to the man tying an electrical cord around the animal’s neck from a tree and strangling the black lab to death.
‘[My son] called me hysterical,’ Hunt told WFTS. ‘He said someone is killing Midnight, he is killing Midnight. He is trying to hang her. He’s hanging her.’
Edwards then allegedly woke Hunt’s other son, 16, who was sleeping in the home, demanding the teen help him hide the dog’s remains.
He refused — so Edwards punched him, according to local authorities.
Hunt’s older son walked outside to see what was going on — only to be attacked by Edwards as well, the local sheriff’s office said.
The older son then called 911, and Edwards was arrested for battery, child abuse, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and torture charges — two misdemeanors and a felony – fox13news reported.
Hunt had been living at the home for about a week prior to the slaying:
Deputies later found Midnight’s body hidden inside the family’s boat on the property.
‘I can see [Midnight’s] face that last minute,’ Hunt told WFTS.
‘I can see her struggling, not understanding what’s going on, my heart, I mean, he’s such a scumbag to have done that to her.’
Hunt had been living at the home for about a week prior to the slaying. It remained unclear if he had previously addressed any prior instances of the dog barking.
Edwards’ next court date is scheduled for February 21 and remains held on $62K bond.
‘He needs to have the book thrown at him,’ Hunt told WFLA. ‘And if the book’s not heavy enough, we need to find more books. That’s just how I feel about it.’
It remained unclear what led to Edwards egregiously reacting to the animal’s barking.
