Jerry Jaurequi is accused of killing a Chihuahua with a golf club in an unprovoked attack.
Nobody knows what 58 year old Jerry Jaurequi of Menifee, California was thinking when he came out of his house with a golf club last Thursday and allegedly hit his neighbor’s Chihuahua so hard, the blow ended up killing her.
The nine-year-old six pound Chihuahua, Lily, had escaped from owner Barbara Hitchman’s home in the 28100 block of Summitrose Drive in Menifee with another dog. Hitchman had been taking out the trash when the little dogs got loose. Little did the dogs know, their exciting adventure would soon end in tragedy.
When Hitchman realized the dogs had absconded, she drove around the neighborhood looking for them. She didn’t have to go far before she found Lily lying on the pavement. Hitchman arrived only moments after Jaurequi had hit Lily so hard with the golf club that he had sent her flying through the air and crashing to the pavement.
Lily before her untimely death.
Neighbors who witnessed the cruelty said that the dogs had not provoked the attack. They told police the two small dogs were running along the street into the cul de sac when Jaurequi came out of his garage carrying the golf club.
Benji, the poodle mix, ran at the sight of him, but Lily didn’t run, with no clue as to what was about to happen. Jaurequi lined her up like a golf shot and swung. He was going to hit her a second time, but a witness intervened.
When Hitchman arrived on the scene, she confronted Jaurequi, who threatened her with the same treatment too. Hitchman and Jaurequi had never met before Thursday and there was no record of animosity between them before the incident.
Lily was rushed to the vet, but she died the following day of a lacerated liver, brain damage and a leg fracture.
Sheriff’s spokeswoman Courtney Donowho said she did not believe the dog had posed any threat to Jaurequi and that he had allegedly struck the dog for no apparent reason.
Jaurequi was arrested and booked Thursday for investigation of felony animal cruelty and was released Friday on $5,000 bond. Riverside officials are determining what charges to bring against him. He is due in court on March 22.
The second dog, Benji, was uninjured.
About the author: Ariel Wulff is an author, artist and animal advocate. She has worked in animal rescue for more than 24 years, authoring the book Born Without a Tail, a memoir of her experiences with rescued animals. She writes a column as the Cleveland Pets Examiner, and is the National Animal Books Examiner. She also maintains a personal blog about dogs: Up on the Woof, and uses her yelodoggie art to spread the joy of living with dogs.
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