An Oct. 29 trial date was set today for a Menifee man accused of fatally beating a neighbor’s Chihuahua with a golf club.
Larry Edward Jaurequi
Larry Edward Jaurequi is charged with felony animal cruelty and a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a dangerous or deadly weapon for allegedly striking the six-pound Chihuahua so hard that the foot-high animal flew through the air, suffering catastrophic internal injuries.
Read: Memorial for Menifee Chihuahua issues call for action
On Jan. 26, Lily, a poodle mix, wandered away from her owner’s home and onto a cul-de-sac in the 28100 block of Summitrose Drive, near High Ridge Circle, where Jaurequi lives, sheriff’s Sgt. Sergio Rodriguez said.
The 58-year-old defendant saw the dog and, with a golf club in hand, positioned himself next to the animal, according to Rodriguez.
Read: Owner of Chihuahua allegedly killed by Menifee man speaks out
“Without reason or cause, the male swung the club against the Chihuahua as if driving a golf ball off its tee,” the sergeant alleged. “The force of the swing sent the animal flying through the air. The suspect was preparing for a second swing when he was stopped by people that just witnessed his acts.”
Lily’s owner, Barbara Hitchman, went looking for the feline and confronted Jaureqi when she found her fatally injured pet.
“I told him, `You’re insane. You’re psycho. You need to be locked away,”’ she recalled in a televised interview. “He said, `Your dog shouldn’t be loose anyway.”’
Hitchman took Lily to a veterinarian, but the dog could not be saved. Jaurequi faces four years behind bars if convicted. He is free on $5,000 bail.
Loading ...
