Suspect who allegedly set puppy on fire held at Killeen landfill to appear in court

KILLEEN, Texas (KWTX) – One of the suspects in an animal cruelty case involving the burning of a puppy will appear in court Tuesday for a sentencing hearing. Alex Manuel Cruz will appear in a Bell County courtroom.

In April, Cruz and Quisso Rodriguez Aquino were indicted on animal cruelty charges. The two allegedly burned the pit bull puppy, put it in a suitcase and dumped it at the Dollar General dump in Killeen.

Sandy Walker cared for a dog named Samsonite at Second Chance Farm Animal Rehabilitation. He plans to drive all the way from Granbury to show up.

Walker said Samsonite is now “as good as he gets.” For the past few months, he had been on a lot of painkillers and antibiotics.

“It was hard, really hard,” Walker told KWTX News 10. “I think a lot of us shed a lot of tears knowing what he went through. What he went through was just hell. .”

Walker said she has received several animal abuse cases at her center before, but has never seen anything like Samsonite.

“It was very bad,” he said. “As far as animal cruelty goes, it was one of the worst cases we’ve ever seen.”

Now she’s asking people to share their messages on Facebook to get the word out and for a judge to put the two men behind bars.

“As we all know, a lot of times serial killers start with animals, so these guys need to be put behind bars,” Walker said.

Until the sentencing hearing, Walker is asking as many people as possible to pack the courtroom in Bell County. He even offers rides from Granbury to Belton.

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