Grand Jury Indicts Man In Strangulation Of Peabody Puppy

PEABODY, MA — An Essex County grand jury handed down an indictment against Jeremy Picchierri, 31, of Lowell, who is accused of strangling his fiancee's golden retriever puppy on Sept. 8. The indictment means Picchierri will face animal cruelty and a threats charge in Salem Superior Court. Picchierri has been free on $100 bail since a hearing last fall.

Despite allegations that he found "incredibly disturbing," Salem Superior Court Judge Timothy Feeley released Picchierri in September on $100 bail and the condition that he wear a GPS monitoring device and not be responsible for or possess animals. He was arrested arrested after his fiancee went to the Peabody Police Station on Sept. 9 claiming Picchierri had killed Jack, her five-month-old Golden Retriever puppy.

Feeley said the rules that allow someone deemed to be dangerous to be held without bail are designed to protect people, not animals. While a new law has been passed that would change those rules, it does not go into effect until next month. Feeley said while the crime is "incomprehensible to me, I'm not here to punish him. I can't punish him until he's convicted."

Related Story: No Bail For Lowell Man That Killed Peabody Woman's Puppy

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).