GUILTY ON ALL CHARGES

it's after 11 and I'm finally back at the hotel. The verdict came in just before 10 tonight: Guilty on all charges.
She was charged with 3 things for each of the 18 dogs: animal cruelty (a misdemeanor), aggravated animal cruelty (a felony) and aggravated animal torture (also a felony). Every GUILTY was read off for each of the 18 dogs.....we heard GUILTY 54 times, one right after the other.

At last, these poor babies can truly rest in peace. They are rejoicing tonight at Rainbow Bridge that  the 12 members of the jury recognized that their lives were worth something, that they were living feeling beings, not "just a dog".

so many animal advocates were there tonight.....the spectators were about 2/3 animal advocates (rescuers, animal control wardens, humane investigators) and 1/3 press. This is a huge case decision....what a statement this makes about the treatment of animals. These dogs suffered horribly and for a very long time. I'm not going to go into details here right now, but I finally ate my first meal of the week tonight. The testimony (and remember, I didn't look at the pictures or the videos) has made me so sick, my stomach clenched into a knot, that breakfast has been coffee, lunch has been milk, and supper ordered but only picked at. Teri, thank you for taking me to supper.

Sentencing has been scheduled for Oct. 18. I hope to come back for that. During sentencing, the prosecution will be able to have witnesses testify to things like identifying before and after pictures of the dogs, etc. That will really be Lucha's day in court.