Dracut man charged with animal cruelty in the death of his roommate’s dog

A 36-year-old Dracut man has been charged with animal cruelty in connection with the death of his roommate’s dog last year.

Anthony Segnini was arraigned at Middlesex Superior Court last week, where he pleaded not guilty to the animal cruelty charge.

The charges stemmed from an alleged incident on December 11, 2023. Dracut Police Department said Officers went to a home on Sunset Road for a report of possible animal cruelty after she came home from work and found her dog Seamus, an 8-year-old Yorkshire Terrier, dead in his playpen, according to court records. The 8-pound dog was covered in a blanket, blood and feces. The woman reportedly found blood, urine and feces on the carpet and walls of the living room.

Prosecutors said the woman took the dog to Wignall Animal Hospital, where it was pronounced dead. A necropsy later revealed that the dog died of severe blunt force trauma from a blow to the head and also suffered broken bones, a collapsed lung and other injuries as a result of intentional and repeated striking, according to court documents.

Prosecutors say Segnini told the woman — his roommate — that Seamus was unresponsive when he woke up for work and that he had tried to resuscitate the animal before covering him with a blanket and leaving. He allegedly told investigators a similar statement.

Segnini was later arrested. He was indicted by a Middlesex County grand jury in September.

Upon his release following his arraignment on October 24, he was ordered to have no direct or indirect contact with his former roommate, no unsupervised contact with the animal at his residence, and no ownership of any animals.

He will return to court on November 21. An attorney for Segnini did not immediately respond to a request for comment.