Brothers get 10 years for cooking puppy in oven

Atlanta teens killed dog, then threatened children if they told about it

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updated 8:19 p.m. ET Feb. 9, 2007

ATLANTA - Two teenage brothers each were sentenced to 10 years in prison for torturing a puppy by cooking it in an oven.

Joshua Moulder, 17, and Justin, 19, pleaded guilty in January to charges including burglary, criminal damage to property, terroristic threats and cruelty to children.

The brothers brought neighborhood children to see the dead puppy, then threatened to kill them if they reported it, prosecutors said.

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Police said they found the dead mixed-breed puppy inside an oven at an apartment community center Aug. 21. Scratch marks were found inside the oven, indicating the puppy had been alive when it was placed inside, prosecutors said.

A necropsy on the 3-month-old dog found its paws and snout had been duct taped and it had been doused with paint before being placed in the oven, prosecutors said.

Authorities also found damaged computers, broken glass and splattered paint on the walls of the newly refurbished community center.

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The brothers’ first trial ended in a mistrial in December. Their attorney, Timothy Owens, said he had hoped his clients’ sentencing would have focused more on rehabilitation than incarceration.