Whitewater man pleads not guilty to killing neighborhood dog
A Whitewater man pleaded not guilty Friday to felony animal cruelty charges.
Efran Martinez, 54, was arrested on Tuesday in Coachella.
He’s accused of beating a dog to death, then throwing it over a fence last month.
Neighbors and local animal advocates are outraged over the death of neighborhood dog Rusty.
“He was a sweet dog. He survived on the street for three years. He did nothing wrong. The neighbors said he was a great little dog so somebody has to be his family. So I’m here representing his family at large,” animal advocate Katie Burd said.
Burd said someone needs to be Rusty’s voice.
“He’s the voiceless and we have to stand up for the voiceless. Whether it’s children or women or animals, and that’s what we do. We stand up for little animals who are innocent,” Burd said.
Neighbors stayed with the 3-year-old terrier mix until he was taken to a clinic in Indio, where he died.
Martinez faces up to eight years in prison if convicted.
“It’s a heinous crime. The community is outraged,” Burd said.
Neighbors said they saw Martinez hit Rusty over the head repeatedly with a shovel.
They said they won’t be happy until Martinez is convicted.
“He should pay for what he did,” neighbor Billie Dominguez said.
Martinez’s mother, who lives next door, has a restraining order against her son.
She declined to speak on camera but said her son has some disabilities and hopes, if convicted, he gets the help he needs.
“He needs therapy. He needs to be in a place where he can no longer harm anything or anybody, and I hope that that is taken care of if that’s the case,” Burd said.
Martinez is set to make his second appearance in court on July 21.
Those who speak for Rusty said they hope he gets the justice he deserves.
“We save animals all the time, and I wish we could have saved Rusty. But we’re standing up for him. We’re his voice, and we’re moving forward, and we’re going to see this through to the end. I will be here, everyday, every trial, I will be here for him,” Burd said.
