A Mineola male on Monday admitted to fatally beating two puppies and critically injuring another that missing a leg, agreeing to a plea deal that will deliver him to jail for a yr and ban him from owning a pet.
Ellie Knoller, 31, pleaded guilty to a few felony costs of aggravated animal cruelty in a situation that Nassau Supervising Judge Teresa Corrigan termed “abhorrent” and “horrible.”
The decide mentioned she prepared to sentence Knoller this spring to 1 year in jail and 5 yrs of probation less than terms of his plea. She also ideas to ban him from obtaining a pet, perhaps for as extensive as 50 yrs.
Knoller experienced been experiencing up to 2 yrs driving bars on the best demand versus him following a 2019 indictment accused him of 3 counts every of aggravated animal cruelty and animal torture.
The indictment also billed his wife, Jessica Kuncman, 32, with a person rely of animal torture. She experienced been facing up to a yr in jail if convicted of that cost.
Prosecutors said at the time of the couple’s arraignment that Knoller inflicted lethal beatings on two recently adopted puppies in February 2019, when Kuncman failed to seek out medical interest for a 3rd overwhelmed puppy for several hours.
The crimes came to mild just after the few brought the 3rd puppy, an 11-7 days-old goldendoodle named Bella, to a Westbury veterinarian right after she had been crushed virtually to dying, according to prosecutors.
The situation also concerned the fatalities of a shepherd blend named Tucker and Bella’s littermate, a pet named Cooper. The crimes transpired in considerably less than a few weeks, prosecutors reported at the time of the couple’s arraignment.
The couple adopted Tucker from North Shore Animal League The us in advance of Knoller defeat the dog and it died about a 7 days later on from a kidney rupture, according to the Nassau County District Attorney’s Workplace.
The subsequent day, the couple bought Cooper from a Pennsylvania breeder. But two days afterwards, the few brought Cooper to a vet in cardiac arrest just before the doggy died of a lacerated liver, authorities said beforehand.
About a 7 days afterwards, the few introduced Bella to a vet for procedure before authorities seized the pup — which underwent professional medical procedure before heading into foster care, according to prosecutors.
On Monday, Knoller admitted to deliberately inflicting fatal blunt pressure trauma to Tucker and Cooper and to triggering critical physical injury to Bella, injuring her rib cage and a leg.
Prosecutors mentioned Bella has continued her recovery and has been adopted into a permanent household.
Primarily based on Knoller’s plea deal, prosecutors mentioned they will concur at the time of his sentencing that the case against Kuncman can conclusion with an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal. Kuncman’s lawyer, Jeffrey Groder, stated that indicates her case will be dismissed if she doesn’t get into any more authorized hassle for a certain time period of time.
Knoller’s lawyer, Greg Madey, declined to remark soon after court Monday.
Nassau District Attorney’s business office spokesman Brendan Brosh claimed prosecutors sought the most punishment of 2 decades at the rear of bars for Knoller, saying he “sadistically inflicted blunt drive trauma on many canine.”
He added that prosecutors also are trying to get to block Knoller from owning custody of animals for 50 years and are “committed to aggressively prosecuting any one who harms or neglects animals.”
Nassau County SPCA President Gary Rogers said Monday that his agency led the investigation into what he termed a “horrid” scenario, indicating it also resulted in point out laws not too long ago becoming handed that calls for veterinarians to report suspected animal abuse.