Update below with charges: The St. Louis woman who animal rescuers and police believe torched Brownie the dog to death has been arrested and is expected to face felony charges. And public comments discussing the violent act on her Facebook page will likely help bolster the prosecution's case.
A day before the dog was rescued, barely clinging to life, the woman, Adrienne Martin, wrote on Facebook, "I'm on killa mode .....#killdogs.com.....today." The following day, she wrote, "#alldogsdontgoheaven.com," and a few days later, apparently referencing news reports on the dog's death, wrote, "#laughingeveryday."
"That combination of arrogance and evilness is a volatile combination," Randy Grim, founder of the Stray Rescue of St. Louis, tells Daily RFT. "We're all safer with her behind bars."
See also: - Brownie The Dog Clinging to Life After Suspect Badly Burns Chained Up Animal - Our Little Girl: Dog Found Starved in North St. Louis Now Living Sweet Life - Man Accused of Dragging Puppy "Like It's a Stuffed Animal" Says Vet Told Him To
As we reported earlier this month, the dog, whom rescuers named Brownie before he died, was found torched all over his body. Stray Rescue, which tried to save the very badly injured animal, said the dog had been tied up outside and that a suspect had poured accelerant on him before setting him on fire.
The short police report at the time said that the owner had discovered her abused dog and called police.
Now officials have arrested Adrienne Martin, according to Stray Rescue. As of this writing, she has not yet been formally charged, a St. Louis metro police spokeswoman tells Daily RFT. She confirms that an arrest was made.
Grim tells us that he believes the dog's owner was Martin's sister-in-law. (*See update below).
Here are screenshots of the Facebook posts Stray Rescue references in its announcement.
From July 9 and July 10 (when police were called):
From July 14:
Grim says the woman will likely face felony animal-abuse charges.
"Going into this, I knew this was a felony case," says Grim, who works with the St. Louis' Mayor Slay Animal Cruelty Task Force and has pushed for stricter animal-abuse laws. "There was no way around that."
Grim deals regularly with horrible abuse cases, but says, "I think it's one of the most inhumane, cruel acts I've ever heard of."
He continues, "I try to think what Brownie went through...and how much suffering he went through.... This is seared into my brain...because of the sadness of it all."
He says he is glad that law enforcement was able to make a swift arrest. "I'm really impressed with our task force, I really am."
Grim notes that readers can donate to the group's Stracks Fund, which is used as an emergency medical fund for these kinds of cases.
Update, 4:20 p.m.: The St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office has filed formal charges against Martin of felony animal abuse and felony "knowingly burning."
Martin, according to the probable cause statement, on view below, told police that her sister owned the dog. She told cops that the day before the incident, the dog bit her son, forcing him to go to the hospital.
The charges say that Martin initially denied responsibility, but eventually admitted that she was responsible for the fire.
The statement also says that a witness observed the act and saw her with another man, who was holding the gas can.
Martin has a criminal history that includes a previous charge of endangering the welfare of a child, in which she was sentenced to a year of probation. Here's the full statement.
Update, Friday, July 26, 10:20 a.m.: Police have just released Martin's mugshot:
Continue for the full announcement from Stray Rescue and more photos of Brownie, which WARNING are graphic and may be upsetting.
