Man stabs family’s 11-year-old dog to death, ‘eviscerating it’ in unprovoked assault

Officials stated that a man from North Carolina mercilessly assaulted a canine belonging to a family, repeatedly piercing it with a knife until it succumbed to death in an unexpected aggression, while its owner engaged in a game of pickleball.

James Wesley Henry, aged 43, was apprehended for the murder of the mutt named Beignet at an Asheville park on Monday afternoon, and accused of committing a serious offense against animals, as stated by the authorities of Asheville.

According to authorities, Henry purportedly approached the defenseless 11-year-old dog, seized it by the neck, and repeatedly cut it with a blade.

“The individual fatally stabbed the canine using a blade, essentially disemboweling it,” reported Asheville Police Capt. Michael Lamb to the Asheville Watchdog.

Beignet’s proprietor Liesbeth Mackie informed the magazine that she accompanied her canine to Weaver Park and fastened her on an extended tether in a cool place a couple of yards from the pickleball court.

Mackie and other players witnessed an individual in the park displaying erratic behavior and vociferously expressing his anger towards himself, but they chose to leave him undisturbed as he was unaccompanied and not directing his outbursts towards anyone specifically.

A few moments afterward, the pickleball companion of Mackie witnessed the individual, subsequently recognized as Herny, assaulting her canine.

“All of a sudden, I noticed that there was some commotion happening with her dog,” Eric Hulin, a pickleball player, informed the Watchdog. “I saw the attacker, definitely with all of his strength — with what I thought at the time was a closed fist — slamming on the dog, really.”

Nevertheless, it was allegedly observed that Henry clutched a knife within his clenched hand.

“I turned and looked at the dog, and saw its last couple of yelps and twitches,” Hulin expressed to the publication, further mentioning that he cannot erase the visual from his mind. “It was covered in blood. There was blood everywhere. It took me a moment because I wasn’t sure what happened.”

Hulin and a few other observers of the brutal assault pursued Henry as he commenced to nonchalantly, yet swiftly, depart, as reported by the not-for-profit journal. They witnessed him discard a blade while tailing him at a secure distance.

Law enforcement officials arrived at the location and Herny surrendered without any problems, as reported by the Watchdog.

Henry is currently detained at the Buncombe County Detention Facility, with a bond amounting set at $10,000.

The family is devastated by the atrocious killing of Beignet.

Mackie said to News 13 that “My three children, husband and I are devastated. This happened in broad daylight at Weaver Park. My fellow players were just a few feet away, which apparently didn’t scare off Beignet’s assailant.”

The deeply saddened canine mother is also worried about the escalating criminal activity and security problems in the vicinity.

“It’s so random — that’s when it becomes scary,” Mackie mentioned. “Are we still safe to bring our dogs to pickleball?”

Her spouse Tom Mackie, who had christened Beignet after the delicacy renowned in his birthplace of New Orleans, criticized the Asheville mayor and municipal administration — alleging that they bear responsibility for his dog’s demise.

“Asheville is no longer safe,” he warned. “The way our dog was savagely murdered, it could have been my wife. It could have been a kid. The crime in Asheville is spreading out like a cancer.”