Staten Island Man, Nasbert Smith, Choked Wife's Jack Russell Terrier To Death

A Staten Island man was charged today for brutally killing his wife's 5 year-old Jack Russell Terrier, after finding that the harmless pooch had defecated inside the couple's apartment, The New York Post reports.

Nashbert Smith, 28, a registered sex offender, reportedly swung the dog, named Lady, around by her leash, slamming her into walls before saying "F--k this dog" while choking her to death--all in front of his wife of 4 years, Diamond.

Diamond called police to report that her husband had come home Wednesday afternoon, found the pile of poop and phoned her to come home. It was when she arrived, The New York Daily News reports, that Smith attacked Lady.

Smith, a registered Level 2 Sex Offender on parole for a drug sale conviction, was arrested and charged with felony aggravated cruelty to animal, according to the Daily News.

Lady was taken to a local animal hospital where a vet found she'd suffered both internal bleeding and brain trauma, the Post reports.

New York has recently seen an unfortunate rash of brutal pet abuse. Irving Sanchez, 46, was caught on video last week swinging a pit-bull puppy against an elevator wall in Harlem In 2010, three such instances of pet abuse were caught on video in New York elevators.