MIDDLEBURG, Fla. — A Middleburg man accused of binding his then-girlfriend’s dog with tape and strangling her has pleaded guilty and accepted the maximum prison sentence of 5 years, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday.
Cole Daughtry, 25, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of aggravated animal cruelty at his first pretrial hearing, according to court records.
Daughtry was arrested Aug. 8 after his girlfriend at the time reported that he killed her Chiweenie, Nina, according to an arrest report. Daughtry’s then-girlfriend told investigators she found video of the alleged killing on a cellphone while looking through recordings from February, the report stated.
The reported stated the videos showed Nina with blue tape wrapped around her legs and muzzle while Daughtry strangled her. The sheriff’s office said Daughtry told his girlfriend the dog died of natural causes and buried her while while she wasn’t home. She confronted him and then contacted law enforcement, the agency said.
Daughtry told investigators he bound and strangled Nina and later buried her in a wooded area with a friend, according to the arrest report.
Sheriff Michelle Cook said in a statement that the case was disturbing and that there was no excuse for the cruelty.
“I’m grateful to our detectives who worked on this case and our partners at the State Attorney’s Office in holding this defendant accountable,” Cook said.
