Man Jailed After Allegedly Killing, Burning German Shepherd

A man suspected of hacking his housemate’s dog to death with an ax and then setting him on fire was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty, Ventura police said Tuesday.

Javier Castellanos, 20, was booked into Ventura County Jail on Monday evening after the dog’s owner told police that Castellanos had killed the German shepherd, stuffed him into a black plastic bag and dumped him in a garbage can.

Police said they removed from the suspect’s car a large long-handled ax and a white hockey mask--resembling the type used in the horror movie “Friday the 13th.” Police have not yet determined if the red residue smeared on the mask is real or fake blood, according to reports.

Castellanos told police he beat the dog, named Akbar, with the ax because the German shepherd tried to bite his ankle and that he attempted to burn Akbar several times so that the 100-pound dog would better fit in the garbage bag, said Lt. Brad Talbot.

“When the investigating officers asked Castellanos if the dog was alive when he burned him, he said he didn’t know,” Talbot said.

Police reports indicate the dog had several lacerations around its head and body and burned areas on his rear legs and side. Bail was set at $5,000 and Castellanos is scheduled for arraignment this morning.

“Animal cruelty cases can be misdemeanors or felonies, dependent upon the abuse,” said Jeff Hoffman, Ventura County Humane Society senior officer. “With the torture and mutilation, it sounds like a felony case to me.”

Hoffman said his department investigates approximately 700 cruelty cases a year, but that a case like this one rarely occurs.

The maximum sentence for a felony charge would be three years, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Kathy La Salle, who handles all of the county’s animal cruelty cases.

“I haven’t seen one like this before--I’ve lived here all my life and can’t recall hearing of a case like this,” La Salle said, adding that most animal cruelty cases deal with not providing adequate food or shelter.

“I just don’t believe this happened,” said Jim Pykonen, Akbar’s owner who had rented a room from Castellanos’ father for the last six months in the neighborhood of Colby Circle near Camino Real Park. “I’m getting everything packed up because I’m moving out of this place tonight. Even though the son is locked up, I just can’t stay here.”

Pykonen, 38, returned from grocery shopping after work about 7 p.m. and was unable to locate Akbar either in or outside of the house.

“When I asked Javier where Akbar was, he paused for a moment--he had a blank look on his face and wouldn’t look at me,” Pykonen said. “He finally forced out that Akbar tried to bite him, and that he defended himself and killed him with an ax.”

Pykonen said he yelled at Castellanos and then left to call the police from a friend’s house.

“I’ve been doing a lot of crying today, but I was angry last night and I threatened to hit him with the ax, and I’m not the type of person that would do something like that,” Pykonen said. “That’s why I left.”

Pykonen says Akbar, who was named after a Matt Groening character in the “Life in Hell” comic strip, has never bit anyone and wouldn’t do anything like this unless the dog was severely provoked and reacted out of self-defense.

“The loss is not quite as tragic as losing a child, but it is traumatic--particularly because I’ve had him his entire life,” Pykonen said, adding that Akbar was born in the Pierpont Avenue area and would have been 8 years old Friday.

“Javier seemed to get along fine with Akbar. . . . He’d even walk the dog if I’d be late getting home . . . . There was nothing abnormal leading up to this.”

A neighbor, who asked not to be identified, agreed, saying “It’s surprising because we’d see him walking the dog all the time.”

Castellanos’ father denied the police account of the incident. He said he was not home when the incident occurred but returned shortly thereafter.

“[The dog] was not set on fire,” said the father, who would not give his name. “I saw the dog, he was just hit on the head . . . . He mentioned for a minute that he might set him on fire, but he didn’t. . . . I don’t know why the dog attacked him--maybe he provoked him. He said he was acting in self-defense because he was scared, maybe he overreacted. I don’t know.”

Castellanos’ father said his son had recently dropped out of Ventura College because he had difficulty coping and had previously worked as a dishwasher.

“He has no job now,” he said. “It’s a hard time [for him]. He can’t find work.”