RICHMOND, Va. — A dog, Tommie who has since passed away, was intentionally set on fire in a park in Richmond in February.
On Wednesday, the person accused of setting him on fire pleaded guilty in court.
Officials said 20-year-old Jyahshua A. Hill pleaded guilty to one count of Felony Animal Cruelty.
As part of a plea agreement, Hill will serve five years in prison, the maximum sentence allowable by law, without the possibility of parole. He will also have three years of post-release supervision by the court.
Hill is also barred from owning or possessing animals for the rest of his life.
Last February, Tommie was brought to The Richmond Animal Care and Control after he was found tied to a pole in Abner Clay Park, off the 200 Block of W Clay Street, covered in accelerant, and intentionally set on fire.
Witnesses said they saw a man, wearing multiple layers of pants, run from the scene.
At the shelter, he was given the name Tommie. He was treated for his burns for five days before he died.
Hill was arrested in May, shortly after he was indicted by the Multi-jurisdictional Grand Jury on one count of Felony Animal Cruelty.
Since Tommie's death, it sparked outage throughout the Commonwealth. A Virginia law, making animal cruelty a felony, was passed with Tommie in mind. It was even named after the pitbull: Tommie's Law.