A Bronx man heartlessly stabbed his newlywed wife’s beloved beagle to death yesterday during a fit of rage after she walked out on him, police said.
Brian McCafferty, 28, was arrested for stabbing Jerry, a beagle, at his Throgs Neck apartment at least once after getting into a heated argument with his wife Jeanine Tulimero.
McCafferty, a construction worker, had staggered home at about 4:45 a.m. after spending most of the night drinking with some friends, sources said.
When he got home, an irate Tulimero confronted her husband, and the war of words escalated.
Tulimero, 30, stormed out of the apartment at about 5 a.m.
Jane Sadowsky, a downstairs neighbor who heard the fight, said she heard the dog “barking and yelping” moments after hearing a door slam.
When Tulimero returned at about 5:45 a.m., she frantically started looking for Jerry.
“Where’s my dog! Where’s my dog!” Tulimero screamed, according to Sadowsky.
She started yelling even louder after discovering the little pooch’s bloody, limp body and frantically phoned her mother, then called 911, said Sadowsky.
Cops said McCafferty cut his hand during the attack and was taken to Jacobi Hospital.
The couple was married on Sept. 27.
“I’ve heard fights before,” said Sadowsky. “It wasn’t the first time [McCafferty] came home drunk.”
Although Tulimero was too grief-stricken to speak last night, her father, Michael Tulimero, told The Post, “It’s been a very drama-filled day.”
Cops said they found a bloody knife inside the apartment.
“How could anyone do this to a tiny dog?” said Sadowsky. “He’s a cute and friendly dog.”
McCafferty was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, criminal mischief, animal cruelty and reckless endangerment.
Although officials did not reveal Jerry’s age or weight, beagles average 15 inches in length and weigh about 23 pounds, according to the American Kennel Club.
McCafferty has one prior arrest for assault, police said, noting that it was not against an animal.
The pet attack is reminiscent of the recent court case involving Joseph Petcka, who was accused of killing a 7-pound cat in March 2007 during a jealous rage.
Additional reporting by Perry Chiaramonte and C.J. Sullivan