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'Beefcakes' Former Owner Guilty Of Animal Cruelty

LONGMONT, Colo. (CBS4) - The jury has handed down a guilty verdict for the Longmont man accused of shooting Beefcakes the dog and leaving the pup to die along a rural road.

Russell William Middleton, 38, was found guilty of one count of animal cruelty on Thursday afternoon. He remained free on bond. Middleton will be sentenced next month.

Russell William Middleton
Russell William Middleton (credit: (credit: Boulder County Sheriff's Office)

Middleton is accused of shooting his former dog, Beefcakes, in the head last July. The pit bull had a broken jaw and was left to die along a rural stretch of Highway 36 in Boulder County.

Outraged residents raised $15,000 to save the dog. Several surgeries later Beefcakes is recovering and living in a new home.

beefcakes after surgery
(credit: CBS)
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