Police Tell Judge About Finding 5 Dead Dogs In Fairfield Home

FAIRFIELD, CT — Police speaking before a judge Wednesday explained how they found five dead dogs in the Fairfield home of Heidi E. Lueders.

Lueders, the former president of Bully Breed Rescue Inc., is accused of killing the animals and appeared in court for a pre-trial hearing. Her attorney has motioned to suppress evidence seized and dismiss the five felony counts of maliciously killing an animal and one count of first-degree criminal property damage that she faces.

In November 2018, Fairfield police discovered the remains of five dogs, who were affiliated with the rescue and had been under Lueders' care, in crates inside a home on Prince Street.

Officers Raymond Quiles and John McGrath and Animal Control Officer Paul Miller entered the residence Nov. 14, 2018, without a warrant under what McGrath characterized as “exigent circumstances.” Police had received a report from Lueders’ landlord, according to Quiles, who noted Lueders had been staying in a hotel for a week at the time.

“You could smell the rotting flesh coming from within,” Quiles said, when asked by Judge Peter McShane why he went into the home. “We were making sure that there was nobody dying inside.”

Once in the residence, the officers found an “extreme amount of garbage, filth and a few carcasses” as well as drug paraphernalia, according to Quiles. Authorities obtained a search warrant and re-entered the home a few hours later, and animal control removed the remains.

Lueders had told Bully Breed Rescue’s members and volunteers that she sent four of the dogs to a sanctuary and the fifth to a foster home.

Following Wednesday’s hearing, Lueders’ attorney, Robert Serafinowicz, said there was a lack of clarity about whether the officers or landlord had permission to enter the dwelling prior to obtaining a warrant.

Also Wednesday, McShane considered a motion to close the courtroom during the trial. The animal law advocacy group Desmond’s Army has been a consistent presence as Lueders’ case has moved through the judicial system, and about 10 of its members looked on as Serafinowicz defended the motion.

“This young lady’s life is at stake here,” Serafinowicz said of Lueders, who is in her early 30s. “We will not allow the proceedings to get out of hand, to be disruptive or to become a circus.”

Prosecutor Felicia Valentino cited the Desmond’s Army bylaws, which include specific courtroom decorum.

“I really think that they’ll behave,” McShane said, before denying the motion.

Following the proceedings Wednesday, Desmond’s Army President Zilla Cannamela explained why the group took the time to attend Lueders’ court dates.

“We are their voice,” she said of the five dogs that died. “They have no voice.”

The hearing will resume Friday with more witness interviews. If the motion to dismiss is denied, the next phase of the trial process will begin Jan. 4. Lueders is currently free on a $250,000 bond. She waived her right to a jury trial after turning down a plea deal in October that would have seen her serve two-and-a-half years in prison, according to the Connecticut Post, which has reported she could face up to 30 years behind bars if convicted.