Griffin man recorded himself killing sister's dog, playing with its skull, police say
GRIFFIN, Ga. - Officers have charged a Griffin man with animal cruelty after they say he violently killed the dog and then videotaped himself playing with its severed head.
Officials tell FOX 5 that their investigation began when they contact on Feb. 6 by a woman who told them that she had left her dog with her brother when she went up to New York in 2019. When the woman returned in March of 2021, the dog was gone, and she couldn't figure out what happened to it.
Later, the woman said her brother gave her his old cell phone to use while she was working on getting a new one. After using the phone, the woman discovered multiple photos and a video of her brother killing the dog.
According to police, the video showed the rear seat of a car covered with blood and her brother holding the dog's skull and moving it around like it was a puppet talking.
When the woman confronted her brother, he admitted to it and allegedly joked that he "put the dog out of its misery."
When police questioned the man, identified as Harvey Willis Smith Jr., he told detectives that he did not kill the dog.
Harvey Willis Smith was arrested and charged with aggravated felony cruelty to animals. (Griffin Police Department)
Instead, Smith said he ate the dog after it had been hit by a car. Investigators say that the evidence seen in the photos did not support that claim.
In a statement, Griffin Chief of Police Mike Yates called the case "one of the most disturbing" he's even seen in his more than 30 years in law enforcement.
"I cannot comprehend the mind of an individual who would commit such acts on an innocent and defenseless animal," Yates said.
Smith has been arrested and charged with aggravated felony cruelty to animals.