Maryland politician battered dog to death with hammer claiming he was 'Jesus Christ' and had sent the animal to 'heaven'
A politician from Maryland has reportedly been imprisoned for brutally killing his pet dog with a hammer. Joseph Cryer, an aspiring mayor, later told the authorities that he "was Jesus Christ" and he had sent the canine to heaven, reports state.
Cryer, who ran for mayor of Ocean City in 2018, dumped his dead pet's bloodied body in a trash can after hammering the animal so hard that lumps of flesh were later discovered scattered around his garden, according to Delmarva Now. Reports state that Cryer is also believed to have sliced his pet's throat during the process.
The assailant was reported to police by a neighbor in September 2019 after she heard him screaming inside his home. After authorities arrived, Cryer reportedly screamed: "They killed my dog!" and then pointed towards his home as an officer approached him.
Cryer reportedly told the officer that he was Jesus Christ, and was observed by the official to have scratch marks on his left hand and dried blood on his white long johns. The officer then entered the politician's garden and observed the "flesh of something that was once alive."
When she questioned Cryer more about what had occurred at his house, he told the officer that his pet "went to heaven to be with my brother." Reports state that he initially claimed to have cast his pet into the sky, however, he later admitted that he had used a hammer to kill the canine.
"It was extremely painful," he told the officer. When he was asked whether he was sad about losing his dog, he told the investigator that his pet was in a happy place as he had been reunited with his brother.
The officer, after examining the dog's body, noted that it had a hole in its head and lacerations to its throat, the outlet reported. Cryer, on December 23, admitted to aggravated animal cruelty and was imprisoned for three years with all but five months and 29 days of his sentence suspended.