Man charged with beating puppy to death with hammer enters plea

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.omaha.com/article/20131211/NEWS/131219698/1707#man-charged-with-beating-puppy-to-death-with-hammer-enters-plea

By Sarah Schulz

A man charged with beating a puppy to death with a ball-peen hammer has entered a plea agreement that also settles five other cases against him in Hall County.

Michael J. Berst, 26, of St. Paul, formerly of Grand Island, pleaded no contest in Hall County District Court to cruel mistreatment or mutilation of animals and tampering with physical evidence, which are both felonies, for an April 15 incident involving the death of a 6-month-old pit bull mix puppy named Buddy.

In exchange for his plea, five pending cases will be pleaded to or dismissed, including three cases that were originally set for preliminary hearings in Hall County Court on Tuesday. According to court documents, Berst will also enter pleas to a charge of felony burglary for a Nov. 10 incident and misdemeanor violation of a protection order for a Nov. 3 incident involving his estranged wife, Tara Berst.

Tara Berst filed a petition in district court for a domestic abuse protection order on Oct. 25. According to the petition, the couple has two children, a 4-year-old and a 9-month-old. She wrote about times during the last year when Michael Berst chased her; pulled her hair, causing her to fall; sent threatening text messages to her family; and smashed her phone while holding her down. She also mentioned the cases pending against him, including the death of the puppy.


FULL story at link.

[newfie11]

1. Fry the sob

[Tien1985]

2. What an absolute POS

Hope his ass gets put in jail for the rest of his miserable life, but I doubt it will

[joeybee12]

3. Lock him up, throw away the key...nt

[JimboBillyBubbaBob]

4. Someone has a temper!

Those bars may help protect that family of his. Let's hope.

[magical thyme]

5. fucking scum

poor, poor puppy suffered for hours...

[Whisp]

6. He must have been horribly mistreated as a child.

something is wrong with him, no normal person could do that.

I want him to be punished and not have the opportunity to do that again, but I also want all children to be treated well.

[a kennedy]

8. He needs to fry.......

...........According to a search warrant affidavit filed on April 24, Berst told a friend he had killed Buddy because the puppy had relieved itself on the floor and Berst stepped in the mess. He grabbed a hammer and struck the dog out of anger. Berst told his friend he had taken the dog outside after hitting him and “threw him” in his doghouse.

He said he checked on him after one to two hours and the puppy was “whimpering and breathing funny,” so he retrieved the hammer and struck him until he was dead. He told the friend he was “putting him out of his misery,” according to the affidavit.

HE NEEDS TO FRY.


http://www.omaha.com/article/20131211/NEWS/131219698/1707#man-charged-with-beating-puppy-to-death-with-hammer-enters-plea

[Logical]

11. Really, death penalty? n-t

[dionysus]

12. a teen murders a person, let him go, his brain isn't developed. hurt a puppy, it's the chair for you

pal!

[a kennedy]

13. Ok, might have been a bit hasty.......

and no. not death.....but dang it, cruelty to animals??? something...something to make them realize it's NOT ok to do that to animals.

[Logical]

14. I agree with you, deserves prison a long time. Normal life of the dog sounds fair. n-t

[life long demo]

9. Could some one please explain to me why (most times) there is

a plea agreement. Which sometimes diminishes the charges. The man is obviously a bully with anger issues. He killed the puppy. WTH! He attacked his wife, I bet his children also (my opinion). Why the plea deal????

[In_The_Wind]

10. Berst needs to be put away where he can't cause misery for a long time!!!