October 9, 2007

TEXAS - Three teenage boys could face up to 10 years in prison for torturing and beheading a dog earlier this week.

The boys, whose names are being withheld allegedly kidnapped Tobey – a small dog owned by 16 year-old Stephanie Tavere of Seguin Texas.

A witness says she saw the boys, who are 12, 13 and 15, repeatedly throw Tbey from the second story window of an abandoned house. With the dogs' legs now broken, they hung him from a tree and beat him like a pinata, the witness said, before finally beheading him.

Guadalupe County attorney Elizabeth Kolb says since the incident, she's been inundated with hundreds of emails, faxes, letters and phone calls – both national and international – from people outraged by this news.

Kolb plans to prosecute the teens to the fullest extent of a recently updated law pertaining to such cases.

The revamped conditions would pose a maximum sentence of 10 years for the teens. But the changes were passed just after the incident occurred, which could create a barrier to Kolb's case.

Unless the court decides to overlook ex-post facto, the boys are likely to face a maximum of two years' jail time.

Since the defendants are juveniles, Guadalupe County authorities aren't releasing any information about the case. Their trials will also be be closed to the public.

What is known about the teens is that they have shown no remorse for their actions – a fact that adds a chilling twist to the story.

British song writer Maria Daines was so upset by this case that she wrote a song called, “Tears for Tobey.”