Puppy Doe Trial Delayed

QUINCY, MA — The highly anticipated "Puppy Doe" trial will not start until August, the Norfolk County District Attorney's office confirmed.

Due to a medical emergency with an assistant district attorney on the trial, Commonwealth v. Czerkawski will now start Aug. 7 at 2 p.m. in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham. The DA's office says the assistant district attorney is undergoing emergency surgery to save her sight after suffering a detached retina.

Radoslaw Czerkawski faces several charges including multiple counts of animal abuse. Prosecutors say the native of Poland bought the dog on Craigslist in June 2013 and tortured and abused the pit bull for its few remaining days. The dog, introduced to the public as "Puppy Doe," was found near a playground in August 2013. He was later euthanized due to the severity of his injuries.

Following a two-month investigation, police identified Czerkawski, who at the time was living in the Quincy home of a woman he was taking care of, as the owner of the dog. He was taking into custody at a hotel in New Britain, Connecticut.

Since the arrest, Czerkawski was sentenced to three to five years in prison time for stealing $130,000 from the elderly woman he was hired to take care of and another three to five years for taking $4,500 from St. Lawrence Martyr Parish in New Bedford, where he had stayed for several months in 2012.

Image via Animal Rescue League