Sister Of Man Facing 6 Years In Prison For Killing Puppies Says Brother Needs Help, Not Jail Time
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A Maryland man pleads guilty for his role in a heartbreaking case of animal cruelty.
Investigators say 22-year-old Donald Yearwood admitted to stomping on the heads of a group of puppies and then disposing of them in a dumpster last year.
RELATED: Man Accused Of Stomping Puppies Pleads Guilty, Faces 6 Years In Prison
George Solis spoke exclusively with Yearwood's sister, who is coming to his defense.
Niaya Williams says her brother is not a bad person and that he acted out over "personal issues." She does not agree with the six years in prison he now faces.
Baltimore City prosecutors say 22-year-old Donald Yearwood has admitted to nearly unspeakable acts of animal cruelty.
Yearwood has told authorities he had been on surveillance video dumping the bodies of four three-week-old pit bull puppies in a dumpster, after he stomped on their heads and threw them down a flight of stairs last November.
It all took place in front of young children at a home in south Baltimore. Residents were left outraged by the violence.
"You don't treat animals like that," says one neighbor.
Yearwood reportedly killed the puppies because their cries woke him up.
Williams says her brother is not a malicious man, but someone coping with mental health issues.
"Why don't y'all get him help? Y'all rather him be locked up in a cage than to get him help," she says.
Williams tells us Yearwood has a daughter about the same age of her son, who witnessed the whole thing.
"They don't even think about what happened. They don't talk about what happened they don't care. They're not scared, they're not traumatized," she says.
If convicted, Yearwood faces up to six years in prison.
Williams says she gets why many are upset -- she's upset herself and believes she may have been able to help prevent it in the first place.
"I wish I could have took more time out to talk to him to see what's on his mind because when people have issues they need somebody to talk to."
Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby has called the facts of case "disturbing."
Yearwood is scheduled to be sentenced October 19. Additionally, he faces significant collateral consequences in Anne Arundel County due to the fact that he was on active probation at the time of this crime.
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