Dee DeQuattro
ddequattro@abc6.com
A Framingham man was held on $20,000 cash bail after police charged him with torturing and killing his 7 ½ pound dog and then disposing of the animals body in the trash can.
Douglas Coelho, 27 pleaded not guilty at his Monday arraignment where he was charged with animal cruelty.
It is alleged that Coelho's dog Ruffy died after Coelho stuffed the pet in a drawer so that he could not jump on the bed. Ruffy was a black mixed breed dog who was a little over a year old.
According to prosecutors Coelho became angry with Ruffy after the dog urinated on his bed. As a result Coelho threw the dog against the wall. He then became tying the dogs legs together at night so that he was unable to jump on the bed.
Coelho's roommate told investigators that Coelho often would hold the dogs head underwater.
According to a report by the Associated Press Coelho is an illegal immigrant from Brazil.
