New Hanover County man convicted after shooting, killing neighbor's dog in Monkey Junction

Alex Christian Hollinger, left, testifies during his trial at the New Hanover County Courthouse on Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2022.
Alex Christian Hollinger, left, testifies during his trial at the New Hanover County Courthouse on Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2022.

A New Hanover County man was convicted of two counts of cruelty to animals after admittedly shooting and killing his neighbor's dog in 2019.

Alex Christian Hollinger was arrested in 2019 and charged with a total of five counts of felony cruelty to animals for his role in the death of his neighbor's three-year-old Boxer mix, Gibson, and in connection with the injury of another of his neighbor's dog.

Hollinger took the stand during his two-day trial in his own defense. Under oath, Hollinger admitted to shooting Gibson on March 28, 2019, with a BB gun.

According to evidence presented at trial, Gibson was struck four times. He was found by his owner, bleeding, and was rushed to emergency veterinary services. Life-saving efforts for the dog failed and Gibson was euthanized.

From 2019: Second animal cruelty charge for man who shot neighbor's dog

At trial, Hollinger maintained it was not his intention to kill the dog. Hollinger said his actions were the result of "sheer frustration" at the dog's persistent barking.

“At that moment, I’d had enough,” Hollinger said during his testimony.

“Do the ends justify the means?” prosecuting attorney ​Sean Spiering asked.

“No,” Hollinger answered.

The case was tried at the bench, not by a jury. Superior Court Judge J. Stanley Carmical found Hollinger guilty of two counts of misdemeanor cruelty to animals — one in the death of Gibson, and one in connection to injuring Retriever mix Chloe, another of his neighbors' dogs.

Carmical said while it may not have been Hollinger's intent to kill Gibson, his intentional conduct resulted in Gibson's death. Hollinger was sentenced to serve 18 months of supervised probation for each conviction — 36 months total. He was also ordered to complete 24 hours of community service and pay $2,340.96 in restitutions.

Carmical said the family has been permanently impacted by 3-year-old Gibson’s death.

District Attorney Ben David said a 2019 "Justice for Gibson" petition calling for Hollinger to receive the maximum punishment possible if convicted garnered 37,000 signatures.

Jamey Cross is the public safety reporter at the StarNews. Reach her at jbcross@gannett.com or message her on Twitter @jameybcross. 

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: New Hanover Co. man convicted of cruelty to animals