Hudson Valley Man Tied Up, Murdered Housemate's Dog

A Hudson Valley man tied up his roommate's dog and murdered the animal.

On Thursday, the Appellate Division, Third Department unanimously affirmed the April 2016 conviction of Eric Napoli after a jury convicted him of aggravated cruelty to animals.

On April 16, 2015, Napoli shot and killed his roommate's dog, Luna, with a .12 gauge shotgun loaded with birdshot. Officials say there was no justifiable reason for the dog's murder.

According to evidence from the trial, Napoli tied Luna, to a tree in his backyard and shot her to death using a shotgun.

He waited until Luna’s owner came home to kill the dog, purposely causing more pain on the owner, officials say.

Napoli was sentenced to two years in prison, the maximum sentence allowed by law.

At his sentencing Ulster County Court Judge Donald Williams called Napoli’s actions “chilling” and that he “could not imagine how someone could point a shotgun at an innocent creature who just wanted to be loved by human beings.”

William’s added the defendant’s “explanation, tortured logic and rationalization” were “quickly rejected by the jury as fabricated and unbelievable.”

On appeal, Napoli challenged the legal adequacy of the evidence supporting his conviction and argued that he was denied meaningful representation. He also said Ulster County Court improperly responded to the jury’s question when they asked for a definition of the word “extreme” during deliberations. The Appellate Division, Third Department rejected all of Carney's statements.

Hudson Valley Man Tied Up, Murdered Housemate’s Dog