Asbury Park Man Killed Girlfriend's Dog After Argument, Police Say

ASBURY PARK, NJ — An Asbury Park man killed one of his girlfriend’s dogs after the two got into an argument, said Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey Wednesday.

Nicholas C. Winter, 35, is charged with third-degree animal cruelty resulting in death and abandoning a domestic animal, a disorderly persons offense.

This happened on June 4, said police, but Winter was charged and taken into police custody on Tuesday of this week.

Shortly before 4 a.m. on Saturday, June 4, members of the Asbury Park Police Department responded to a home on Locust Drive and found the dead dog, a 12-year-old male named Bentley.

The woman's other dog, a 14-year-old female named Sophia, was reported missing, but found in the area several hours later.

Police say that after the two got into an argument, Winter repeatedly texted his girlfriend threatening the welfare of her dogs while she was at work.

A necropsy later performed on Bentley determined that the dog had died due to blunt-force trauma.

If convicted on the more serious charge against him, Winter is facing to five years in state prison.

“We take animal cruelty cases extremely seriously in Monmouth County. Taking the life of a defenseless animal as a means to emotionally traumatize its owner is reprehensible and tragic,” Acting Prosecutor Linskey said. “We thank the joint efforts of the Asbury Park Police Department and the SPCA for their work on this case and their compassion for the canine victim in this case.”

This case was investigated by Asbury Park Police Detective Anthony Houlis and Lt. Michael Magliozzo of the Monmouth County SPCA.

The allegation brings to mind this infamous 2018 criminal case where a Long Branch man left his girlfriend's pit bull puppy trapped in a cage as the water rose in Highlands. Similarly, he did this after the couple had an argument.

The dog was only saved when a local Highlands woman out for an early-morning walk heard whimpering and rescued the dog; the tide was rising and the water was already up around its legs and body. Aaron Davis, 36, of Long Branch, later admitted to the crime; he was sentenced to one year in prison by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Marc LeMieux. Read: Dog In A Cage Trapped On Beach As Tide Rose In Highlands

Highlands Woman Recalls Finding Puppy Left In Cage To Die