A 36-year-old man has been indicted on a charge related to the 2022 killing of his girlfriend’s poodle, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced on Friday.

Nicholas C. Winter, of Asbury Park was indicted on the charge of third-degree animal cruelty resulting in death.

If convicted, Winter could face up to five years in state prison, per state statute.

Shortly before 4 a.m. on Saturday, June 4, 2022, Asbury Park police responded to a residence in the 1400 block of Locust Drive on a report by an adult female that her boyfriend had killed her dog. Inside the residence, the responding officers found the deceased dog, a 12-year-old male poodle named Bentley. The victim’s other dog, a 14-year-old female named Sophia, was reported missing, but found in the area several hours later.

An investigation led by Asbury Park Police Department Detective Anthony Houlis and Lt. Michael Magliozzo, of the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), determined that Winter had earlier repeatedly texted his girlfriend, threatening the welfare of her dogs, while she was at work.

A necropsy performed on Bentley determined that he died due to blunt-force trauma to the head, neck, and body that ultimately resulted in a fatal traumatic brain injury. Winter was arrested and charged later in June of 2022.

— Edited press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office

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