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A Newtown man, angry after a fight with his mother, stabbed his two pet dogs to death, DA said

“To say the defendant’s actions were inhumane is an understatement — They were sadistic,” Bucks County District Attorney Jen Schorn said in announcing charges against George Ash.

Shyla (left) and Blake were beaten and stabbed to death by their owner, George Ash, according to prosecutors in Bucks County.
Shyla (left) and Blake were beaten and stabbed to death by their owner, George Ash, according to prosecutors in Bucks County.Read moreCourtesy Bucks County District Attorney's Office

A Newtown man, frustrated after an argument with his mother, tortured and stabbed two dogs to death in what Bucks County prosecutors described Wednesday as a horrific, sadistic attack.

George Gooch Ash, 39, has been charged with aggravated cruelty to animals for the Jan. 18 incident, court records show. Ash was receiving treatment Wednesday to address medical and mental health concerns, according to prosecutors, and had not yet been arraigned on the charges.

Ash called 911 just before 5:30 p.m. on the day of the incident to report that he killed the dogs, Shyla, 9, and Blake, 7, with a knife and stabbed himself, according to the affidavit of probable cause for his arrest. He did so, he told dispatchers, because he had visited his elderly mother at a nursing home earlier in the day, and took out his anger on the animals.

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Bucks County District Attorney Jen Schorn, in announcing the charges Wednesday, called Ash’s actions tragic and unimaginable.

“To say the defendant’s actions were inhumane is an understatement — they were sadistic,” Schorn said. “He believed he was belittled by a family member who he had just recently visited.

“So he came home, and for hours beat his two dogs,” she added. “And that was not enough.”

When police arrived at Ash’s home on Essex Place, they found him covered in blood, suffering from multiple stab wounds, in what he described as an attempt to kill himself, the affidavit said. They transported him to St. Mary Medical Center for treatment.

Inside the home’s kitchen, the officers found two dead mixed-breed beagles. Both dogs had multiple stab and slash wounds on their bodies. Bloodstains were found throughout the home, including inside a dog bed. Bloody paper towels and a chef’s knife wrapped in a bloody rag were found in the kitchen with the dogs, according to the affidavit.

Another knife, missing its blade, was also in the kitchen.

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While being treated at the hospital, Ash told investigators that he had been abusing the dogs earlier that day, kicking and punching them repeatedly, the affidavit said. After coming home from visiting his mother, he stabbed one of the dogs to death, breaking the knife in the process. He then grabbed a second knife and killed the other dog.

Cindy Kelly, a spokesperson for the Bucks County SPCA, said in a statement that the organization is working with investigators to get justice for Shyla and Blake, “who were tragically and horrifically killed by someone they knew well.”

“We will dedicate our resources to this investigation to ensure that George Ash is convicted fairly and justly,” Kelly said.