DES MOINES, Iowa — A man who beat to death and beheaded a rabbit at an animal shelter in Des Moines has been given a two-year sentence. Court records say Bobby Carothers pleaded guilty last month to animal torture and requested immediate sentencing.
Staffers at the Animal Rescue League shelter identified Carothers as being the last visitor in the building on Dec. 15. The records say that as Carothers left he told one of the staffers that he was having rabbit stew that night. A short time later employees found the dead rabbit, Petunia.
The ARL's CEO Tom Colvin released this statement on Tuesday:
“2019 was an exceptionally challenging year, none of the least of which was when Bobby Gene Carothers brazenly violated our safe haven for animals by horrifically murdering Petunia, a pet rabbit in our care. This has been an incredibly painful journey of recovery for our team and while we are relieved to have a resolution in the courts for this case, our fight to improve Iowa’s animal welfare laws continues, and is now more personal than ever before.”