A widow drowned her terrified chocolate Labrador in her bathtub because it wouldn’t stop barking at her, it is claimed.
Margaret Kinsella, 43, is said to have been heard drowning the whimpering pet at her apartment complex in Bradenton, Florida, last month.
A maintenance man working on her apartment’s air conditioning told sheriff’s deputies he saw Kinsella take the dog into her bathroom and shut the door.
The unnamed worker said he then both Kinsella and the dog screaming from inside the bathroom
A woman from Florida is facing a felony charge of animal cruelty after admitting to drowning her dog in the bathtub. Margaret Kinsella, 43, confessed to intentionally killing her Labrador retriever because she was distressed by the dog’s constant barking and biting.
The incident occurred on November 5, and Kinsella was arrested on December 17 following a necropsy that confirmed the cause of the dog’s death.
She cited increased stress due to recent family deaths as contributing factors to her actions. Kinsella has been charged with a third-degree felony under Florida law and is scheduled to appear in court on January 10. The tragic event took place while maintenance workers were repairing Kinsella’s air conditioning unit, and a witness reported hearing screams from the bathroom before discovering the deceased animal in the bathtub.
Minutes later, Asia heard the screaming intensify and opened the bathroom door, according to the affidavit. Asia saw the dog floating in the bathtub, deputies wrote, and rushed to remove it.
In interviews, Kinsella allegedly told deputies that her anxiety and depression increased as she dealt with the deaths of her husband and father in the past year. She said she became angry after the dog barked and bit her, driving her to drown the animal, according to the affidavit.
Kinsella was booked into jail Dec. 17 and later released on a $5,000 bond. If found guilty, she could face a fine of up to $10,000 per Florida law.
While every state has laws banning animal cruelty, President Donald Trump signed a bill in November making it a federal felony. Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, has said the law fills a gap between state laws, allowing federal prosecutors to pursue cases that cross state lines.
That prompted him to ask her if she needed any help, only for her to refuse, it is alleged.
The air conditioning worker was further disturbed when he heard louder screams a few minutes later, WWSB reported.
He was able to get the door of the bathroom open, and is said to have seen the Labrador dead in the bathtub.
The maintenance man quickly dragged the dog from the water, but was unable to save its life.
During a subsequent interview at Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, Kinsella reportedly said that the dog constantly barked at her, and that it had bitten her.
She also told deputies how she had been struggling with the deaths of her father and husband, who she claimed had passed away in the last 12 months.
Kinsella was initially given a psychiatric evaluation, and was eventually arrested on December 17.
She has been charged with aggravated animal cruelty.
