GA Man Beheaded Sister's Dog, Played With Severed Head: Police

GEORGIA — Called a disturbing case of animal cruelty by police, a Georgia man is accused of beheading his sister's dog and then playing with the severed head.

In Griffin, which is about an hour from Atlanta, police said they met with a woman, Courtney Smith, on Feb. 6 who told officers she traveled to New York in Nov. 2019 and left her pit bull with her brother, Harvey Willis Smith Jr.

When she returned home in March 2021, her dog was nowhere to be found.

In need of a cell phone, police said Smith's brother gave her his to use until she got a new one. While looking at photos left on the phone, police said she discovered a series of photos and a video of her brother killing a dog.

Smith said the video also showed the rear seat of a vehicle with blood, her brother holding a severed dog's head and moving its jaw as if it was talking, according to police.

Police said when she questioned her brother about the photos, he admitted the dog was hers and that he had "put the dog out of its misery" in a joking manner.

Police said they were able to confirm the photos and video showed the incident as described by Smith.

"This is one of the most disturbing animal cruelty cases I have seen in 30-plus year," Griffin Police Chief Mike Yates said. "I cannot comprehend the mind of an individual who would commit such acts on an innocent and defenseless animal."

Police said they interviewed the woman's brother about the dog, who claimed that he did not kill the dog but that he had "eaten the dog" after it had been hit by a car. Police, however, said the photos did not support his version of events.

Harvey Willis Smith Jr. was arrested and charged with aggravated felony cruelty to animals.