Man Charged In Dog's Torture Death In Mokena Faces June Trial Date

MOKENA, IL — A Midlothian man who faces criminal charges in connection with the death of two dogs will go to a jury trial in June after appearing in court this week for a pre-trial hearing in Will County.

Matthew Berry is being represented by a public defender and is scheduled to go to trial on June 3, 2024, after he was indicted by a Will County grand jury in August 2022 on animal cruelty charges. Berry was charged in the death of the two dogs which belonged to a woman he met on a mobile dating app.

Sarah 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.

Last 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 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 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.

According to court documents, Berry was arrested on the charges in June and released on a personal recognizance bond of $15,000. Berry made an appearance in court with his public defender on Monday when a judge set the jury trial on the animal cruelty charges for next summer.