He Threw Dogs Off A Parking Deck; Now He's Going To Prison

OAK LAWN, IL -- An Oak Lawn man accused of tossing two dogs off the roof of a hospital parking garage pleaded guilty to an aggravated animal cruelty charge, thus bringing a quick resolution to a case that shocked the Chicago region. Edward Hanania, 23, appeared Friday morning in Cook County Judge Colleen Hyland’s courtroom where he surrendered his rights to a trial by entering a guilty plea. Hanania also pled guilty to violating his probation on a 2016 drug conviction.

The toy poodles had been reported missing by their owner on May 19. The next morning, Oak Lawn police said Hanania falsely claimed to be the dog’s owner after seeing a Facebook post by the woman who found the dogs. Police said Hanania drove to the medical center campus where he threw the dogs off a parking tower. One of the dogs, Guero, was killed, but the second dog, Guero’s son Angel, suffered a broken leg and head trauma.

Hanania’s attorney Richard Leferver and Cook County assistant state’s attorney Kathleen Lanahan met in Hyland’s chambers for about 45 minutes where the attorneys reviewed a pre-trial investigation report. After discussions with the dog owner’s and Hanania’s family members, Hanania, attired in an orange jail uniform, was led back into the courtroom. Hastily accepting a pen, Hanania could be seen signing a jury waiver.

“How do you wish to plead to aggravated animal cruelty?” Hyland asked.

“Guilty,” Hanania said.

Hanania also pleaded guilty to violating his probation, which was immediately revoked. As part of his plea agreement, he also made admissions to abusing the two dogs, listening as prosecutor Lanahan read the charges against him. Around 11 a.m. May 20, Hanania called the woman who posted on a neighborhood Facebook group that she had found the dogs. Hanania went to the woman’s home where he claimed the dogs as his and gave her a twenty-dollar bill as a reward.

Around 11:55 a.m., hospital surveillance video captured Hanania driving a black 2002 Mercedes Benz to the roof of the parking garage. After exiting the Mercedes and peering over the edge of the roof, the prosecutor said Hanania went back to the car. Taking the two dogs out of the front seat, Hanania dropped both poodles off the roof. Ten minutes later, a passerby found Guero lying dead on the sidewalk. Angel was in the grass, grievously injured. The dogs were rushed to Animal Welfare League in Chicago Ridge, where a veterinarian worked for an hour trying to revive Guero, but it was too late. Angel underwent surgery to pin his broken leg.

Oak Lawn police said that the woman who found the dogs identified Hanania. The security video also captured the license plate of the Mercedes, which came back as being registered to a 71-year-old man at Hanania’s address. Police said that Hanania made written admissions when he was arrested.

"We had two angles of entry to the parking garage and the throwing itself," Oak Lawn Police Chief Randy Palmer said. "No doubt it was him."

The dog owner’s family members and animal advocates wept during the reading of the admissions. Hanania’s father grimaced in the courtroom. Hyland acknowledged Hanania’s past history of substance abuse, where he had been convicted of selling heroin to a confidential police source in June 2016 near Brandt Park in Oak Lawn. The judge also took into account his attorney’s representation that Hanania accepted responsibility for his actions.

Asked by the judge if he had anything to say to the court, Hanania replied, “I am very sorry.”

The judge sentenced Hanania to concurrent sentences of five years for aggravated cruelty and six years for violating his probation, plus two years of mandatory supervision upon his release from the Illinois Department of Corrections. Hanania will also receive credit for the 180 days he spent in Cook County Jail on the drug charge, and 67 days for the animal cruelty charge. Hanania has 30 days within which to withdraw his guilty plea if he changes his mind about a trial.

As he was being led out of the courtroom, Leferver could be heard saying, “Good luck, Edward.”

Outside in the hallway, the dog lovers who’ve shown up for all of Hanania’s court hearings were ebullient.

“He can spend the next five years barking like a dog,” one of them said.

The dog owner’s niece, Edna Sosa, also expressed her thanks to the many members of the public who’ve shown support for their family. Her uncle, who wishes to remain anonymous, still gets emotional about what happened to his dogs. Sosa said that Angel is recovering and almost back to his old self.

“He jumps on the bed and gives us kisses,” Sosa said. “He just got a haircut.”

photo: Edward Hanania, 23 | Cook County Sheriff