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A man who was caught on tape running over his estranged wife's chihuahua was sentenced today to 16 months in prison. Michael David Parker, 45, pleaded no contest to a felony charge of animal cruelty on April 25, according to a press release from L.A. County District Attorney's office. Parker had taken his wife's chihuahua Cow Cow to an alley in Hawthorne on Dec. 28, ran over it with his car and left the dog to die. The killing was caught on tape, where a resident can also be seen later putting the dog's body in a bag and leaving it in the alley.
As part of the plea agreement, an additional charge of animal cruelty and petty theft of a dog would be dismissed by Judge Keith Schwartz. Had Parker been convicted of all charges, he would have faced over five years in prison, reports City News Service.
Parker was arrested on Jan. 3 after Hawthorne police obtained the surveillance footage and traced his license plate and vehicle registration back to him. The day before, a resident had discovered Cow Cow's body in the alley and called police.
Parker is in the middle of a divorce with his wife Olga and reportedly killed Cow Cow in retaliation for not giving Parker money from their retirement fund. A friend of the wife told the Daily Breeze that Parker made threats when Olga refused to sign over their San Pedro home. "He said, 'You are going to sign these documents or else,'" according to the friend. Another dog, Lucky, who lived with Cow Cow in the couple's San Pedro home has also been reported missing.
