Man Charged In Dog's Torture In Mokena Due In Court In November

MOKENA, IL — A 29-year-old Midlothian man who faces criminal charges in connection to the death of two dogs that belonged to a woman he met on a mobile dating app is scheduled to appear in court next month after being indicted earlier this year by a Will County grand jury.

Matthew Berry was indicted in May with animal torture and abuse charges in connection with the death of two dogs belonging to Sarah Manos. Manos filed a complaint with the Mokena Police Department in January, claiming that Berry had beaten and tortured her dog for 14 hours, which led to the dog's death.

Earlier this year, Berry was ordered to pay Manos, who is a high school teacher in Arlington Heights and met Berry on the dating app Bumble, more than $160,000 in connection with the torture and killing of the woman’s two dogs, Daisy and Kirby.

A judge ordered that Berry to pay Manos $100,000 in damages after determining that Berry violated the Illinois Human Care For Animals Act in 2020. Berry was also ordered to pay an additional $60,000 in other fees to cover costs including veterinarian bills, the purchase price of the two dogs and as nearly $13,000 in mental health treatment that Manos received after the death of her two dogs.

In the indictment, Berry was charged with one count of animal torture in the beating death of Kirby as well as a count of aggravated cruelty to animals in the beating, which police said took place in Mokena in 2020.

Manos said she met Berry on Bumble and that the couple bonded over their love of animals. However, according to a lawsuit she filed, Berry became abusive to her and physically abused her dogs.

She claims that the dogs, which were shih tzu and bichon frisé mixes, died in different ways. She said Daisy became wobbly after Berry gave the dog medication before the dog died a day later.

Berry then reportedly punched Kirby, which caused the dog’s death shortly thereafter, according to the lawsuit.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported earlier this year that Cook County officials refused to prosecute Berry. That led her to file a police report with Mokena Police and speak with Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow.

In 2020, Glasgow was named one of “America’s Top Ten Animal Defenders” by the Animal Legal Defense Fund for his anti-animal cruelty initiatives.

“As St. Francis of Assisi recognized more than 900 years ago, those who would deny any creature the shelter of pity and compassion would do likewise to fellow humans. These words were remarkable given that they were made during one of the most violent times in human history, and they remain true today,“ Glasgow said at the time.

The Sun-Times report said that a spokesperson for Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said that there was not enough evidence to charge Berry with a crime. Since then, Manos has posted about Berry on various platforms, including TikTok, warning other women who may encounter Berry on dating apps.

Despite her frustration of not finding help in Cook County, Manos wrote on Change.org after Berry was charged with animal cruelty and torture charges in Will County in June 2022, that she was grateful for the support from the community she had received.

“Thank you, from the absolute bottom of my heart, for your love and support through all this,” Manos wrote. “This fight has been challenging and heartbreaking, but here we are. Finally. Thank you for your love and support of me on this journey, and more so your love for Kirby and Daisy. To Kirby and Daisy, this has all been for you. And justice, LOVE, prevails."