Dog Killer Plea Deal Is Near

The 21-year-old Springs man accused of killing his aunt’s dog late last year may soon take a plea deal if a Suffolk County Criminal Court justice is satisfied with written material supplied during a court appearance on Friday.

Jose J. Galvez-Garcia’s attorney, Stephen Grossman of Sag Harbor, said he presented Acting State Supreme Court Justice Mark Cohen and the Suffolk County district attorney’s office with requested materials. He declined to provide specifics, but court records mention the word “medical.” Mr. Grossman said the justice wanted more details before entertaining any type of plea.   

According to Mr. Grossman, his client faces a maximum of two years in jail on the charge, which is an E felony, and will get credit for time already served. He remains behind bars in Suffolk County jail, where he has been held in lieu of bail since early December. 

In a previous proceeding, Justice Cohen said Mr. Galvez-Garcia could be sentenced to as little as probation under the parameters set by law. 

“You have to stop looking at the crime — which is horrible — and start looking at the criminal,” Mr. Grossman said after the proceeding.

East Hampton Town police said Mr. Galvez-Garcia confessed to taking his aunt’s 4-year-old dog, a cockapoo named Simba, from the front yard of her house, on Thomas Avenue in East Hampton. He then drove to a secluded area off Breeze Hill Road near Three Mile Harbor and choked and repeatedly stabbed the dog until it died. He tried to bury it, but, in an interview with police later, he said he was too drunk to do so. The family found the dog’s mutilated body the next day.

In a police interview later, Mr. Galvez-Garcia admitted that he tried to snap the dog’s neck, had choked it, and then stabbed it with a knife from his mother’s kitchen to make sure it was dead. A veterinarian who examined the carcass confirmed the dog’s neck had been broken, and Mr. Galvez-Garcia was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals.

After his arrest, Mr. Galvez-Garcia waived his right to have his case presented to a Suffolk County grand jury; it was instead transferred to County Court on what is known as superior court information, or S.C.I., which often indicates negotiations are in play that will lead to a guilty plea.

Mr. Grossman had hoped this would speed the judicial process for his client, who is here on a Green Card. There had been some concern about what a guilty plea would mean for his client’s immigration status. Mr. Galvez-Garcia is due back before Justice Cohen on April 12.