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North Hollywood Man Charged in Killing of Girlfriend’s Pet Rabbit

Prosecutors frame the case as domestic violence with a pledge to seek the maximum penalty.

Overview

  • Los Angeles County prosecutors charged 25-year-old Nikolas Hart with six counts, including felony animal cruelty related to his girlfriend’s pet rabbit.
  • The misdemeanor counts include injuring a spouse or cohabitant, attempting to dissuade a witness, and three violations of a no-contact order.
  • He pleaded not guilty and is being held on $150,000 bail under a judge’s order that bars him from owning or caring for animals.
  • A preliminary hearing is scheduled, and prosecutors say a conviction on all counts could mean up to eight years in state prison.
  • Prosecutors allege the Feb. 11 incident involved stomping the two-month-old rabbit named Momo and throwing it from a second-floor apartment, killing the animal by blunt force trauma.