A Layton man has been charged with torturing and killing his dog — and he reportedly told a friend he “enjoyed" it.
Cailean Torquil Macdona MacLeod, 20, has been charged in 3rd District Court with torture of a companion animal, a third-degree felony; and unlawful detention of his girlfriend, a class B misdemeanor.
According to court documents, a friend reported to police that MacLeod “told him that he had killed his dog and wanted to join the military to kill people.” The friend went on to say that MacLeod “admitted … that he enjoyed hurting the dog” and “deeply loved” choking the animal.
When police interviewed MacLeod's live-in girlfriend, she reported an earlier incident when he had thrown the dog down a flight of stairs, breaking the animal's leg — which had to be amputated. He also admitted to her that he had “strangled” the dog, Mocha, and “knew that he had taken it too far” — that after strangling the animal, “he had taken a knife and cut Mocha's tongue twice and punched her in the head.” And that “he enjoyed hurting Mocha and would often look forward to it.”
The dog, a collie-Australian shepherd mix, died in January.
The girlfriend told police MacLeod had showed her the areas in the apartment complex where he had abused the dog — “punching, kicking, throwing and strangling Mocha.” She said that while he was telling her this, he pushed her against a wall to “show her how he would pick Mocha up by the throat.” He then picked the woman up; forced her into their apartment; took her phone and keys and “refused to let her leave.”
According to police, MacLeod admitted to them that he abused and killed the dog — that he “mostly wanted to inflict pain” on Mocha. He also acknowledged he had prevented her from leaving the apartment.
“The defendant also admitted that he struggled with the thought of killing people,” according to the charging document, and said “he wanted to be a drone pilot because they have a high-kill ratio.”
