18-year-old Edmonton man awaits fate in animal cruelty case

EDMONTON – An 18-year-old Edmonton man will have to wait to learn his fate in what the Crown calls a precedent-setting case, and one of – if not the most – severe cases of animal cruelty in the city.

*WARNING: some of the images and details in this story may be disturbing to some*

Branden Chailler pleaded guilty to several charges dating back to December 2012, including mischief, break and enter, and unlawfully killing a dog.

In an agreed statement of facts, it says the accused went on a crime spree beginning at a west end trailer park, where he lived with his mother.

It goes on to say he killed the family dog Ben by slitting his throat.

“This case here, we have a clear victim,” says Crown Prosecutor Christian Lim. “Ben the dog…not particularly the largest dog, has no way of defending himself. He had no idea he would be slaughtered like that basically. He was a totally innocent victim.”

According to the agreed statement of facts, Chailler sent pictures of the attack to a girl he was trying to impress.

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After leaving the trailer park, he broke into a business, an elementary school, a garage and vandalized several cars, causing thousand of dollars in damage.

The accused was later arrested after walking out into traffic.

The Defence is seeking a 12-month sentence, while the Crown believes 27 to 36 months is more appropriate.

“This is not a situation that we just want to lock him away to set deterrence…of course we want to get him help,” adds Lim. “We agree that he is going to be back in the community. And ideally, one, we are setting a precedent to the public that this behaviour – slitting the throat of your dog, for whatever reason – is not appropriate.

But we are also trying to get him some help and we want him to take advantage of the programs, or probation, if that’s what the court orders. We definitely want him to be rehabilitated, which is part of the justice system; it’s a balancing act.”

Chollier did speak in court, breaking into tears when he apologized to his mother. He has been in custody since the incident on December 4, 2012.

The judge will hand down his decision in the case on August 26.

With files from Quinn Ohler, Global News