A man named James Leroy Evans was arrested earlier this week after committing one of the most horrific acts of animal cruelty we've ever heard of.
Evans was released from Thurston County jail on Wednesday after posting $50,000 bail. He is accused of raping and murdering an 8-year-old boy’s emotional support dog because the dog killed his pet iguana.

According to a report, the young dog was staying with Evans, who is related to the owners, while the owners were looking for a dog-friendly residence. After four days of pet sitting, Evans committed the atrocious crime.

A mountain biker found the body of the young pit bull mix hanging from a tree in Thurston county on March 22. When the dog‘s body was brought to a veterinarian’s office, a vet discovered the that dog had been severely sexually abused before dying of asphyxiation. The biker also found scratch marks around the scene of the crime where the young dog had struggled.

“This is probably one of the worst cases I’ve ever seen,” Thurston animal control officer Erika Johnson said. “The degree of violence that animal went through before her death, I really couldn’t wrap my mind around it.”

According to The Olympian, Evans told police that he had killed the dog because she ate his pet iguana. The paper also described the scene in which Evans admitted the crime, reporting that he “seemed pleased with himself” over the crime, saying, “I did it! I hung her.”

Evans has been charged with first-degree animal cruelty and his next court date is April 26.

(Photo: Thurston County Superior Court)