Brandon John Shorts
White Plains, MD – Brandon John Shorts, 23, of White Plains was sentenced to 90 days in jail last week for murdering a two-year-old dog in Laurel that belonged to his girlfriend’s family.
Shorts originally pleaded guilty in January to charges of animal cruelty and malicious destruction of property.
Last June, Shorts was arrested when his girlfriend’s family found their dog bleeding profusely. The dog was rushed to an animal hospital, but had to be euthanized due to the intense pain from the injuries.
The subsequent autopsy revealed the dog suffered a fractured skull and heavy brain trauma, which a veterinerian opined was due to deliberate and intense force being applied to the dog’s head.
Shorts told detectives that the dog was incessantly barking and going after his feet. Shorts said this led him to kick the dog, which he says tumbled all the way down the stairs. After examining Shorts’ statements to law enforcement, prosecutors found Shorts’ account was not plausible given the conclusions drawn from the autopsy.
Howard County Circuit Court Judge Richard Bernhardt sentenced Short to 90 days in jail on May 20, 2016 for the animal cruelty charge and suspended his 60-day consecutive sentence for the malicious destruction of property charge. In addition to jail time, Shorts was given three years of supervised probation and is prohibited from contacting his girlfriend’s family or ever having custody of an animal. Shorts is also required to register for anger management counseling and treatment.