Sunday, November 29, 2015

Justin Rourke, 32, sentenced for murdering man and his pit bull over dispute about stolen pit bull puppy

KANSAS -- A Wichita man who shot another man during a dispute over the ownership of a pit bull puppy will serve 31 months in prison, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office.

Justin Rourke, 32, also was ordered to pay $12,330.06 in restitution in connection with the June 11 shooting death of Roman Padilla, 41.

Police have said Rourke pulled a handgun and shot Padilla and a dog in the 500 block of South Edwards after he and others went to a house there to retrieve the pit bull puppy, which they thought had been stolen. Padilla later died at a Wichita hospital.

"The argument turned physical. Police say the 41-year-old went to get a baseball bat and confronted the 50-year-old man. 
"That is when a 32-year-old man, identified as Justin Rourke, allegedly got a handgun and fired one shot hitting the 41-year-old man in the stomach. He was transported to the hospital where he died. 
"At that point, a second dog, also a pit bull, ran out of the home. As it charged towards the three, Rourke allegedly shot the dog killing it."

Rourke’s defense attorney, in a court document, said Rourke fired in self-defense after Padilla charged at him with a baseball bat. He turned himself into police after the shooting and pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in August.

Originally prosecutors charged him with second-degree murder, animal cruelty and aggravated assault.

The sentence was handed down Thursday by Sedgwick County District Judge Terry Pullman, according to a notation in court records.

Rourke, who maintains his innocence, had asked to be placed on probation.

(Wichita Eagle - Nov 23, 2015)

2 comments:

  1. Wow, so you only get 31 months for shooting a pit bull and its owner, if only it's self-defense. That sounds like pretty good news to me, since it's always self-defense when facing these crazies.

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  2. I miss you dad from Ayiana

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