Mental health capacity motion filed for man who stabbed dog to death in Asheville park
ASHEVILLE – Court appearances have begun for James Wesley Henry, the 43-year-old Asheville man who allegedly stabbed a dog “repeatedly with a knife until the dog was dead” at a city park, according to an Asheville Police Department warrant.
In Buncombe County District Court on July 18, Henry’s public defense attorney Ehsan Akhavi asked for a continuance of the case, with Henry’s new court date set for Sept. 29. A motion based on his mental health capacity was filed July 14, as well as a referral to N.C. RHA Health Services on June 27, meaning Henry will undergo a mental health screening.
Henry was arrested and charged with felony cruelty to animals on June 26, after police responded to a report of a dog stabbing at Weaver Park on Murdock Avenue around 3:21 p.m., according to an APD news release. The dog’s owner, Liesbeth Mackie, told police that while she was playing pickleball, a man grabbed her dog “by the throat and started slashing it with a knife,” the release said.
The Citizen Times reached out to Mackie but did not receive a response.
Man 'eviscerated' dog: Asheville police: Man 'eviscerated' dog at Weaver Park while owner played pickleball
Eric Hulin, who said he was partnered with Mackie, was in the middle of a pickleball match on the tennis courts off Merrimon Avenue when he and one other player noticed someone "attacking the dog," which was leashed beneath a tree by the courts, according to Hulin. He said he ran up to the tree, but by the time he got there, the suspect later identified as Henry had "stopped and was casually walking away."
"By the time we got up there, what I had seen happening was a quite large man holding a dog in one hand, that was connected to the leash still, and with every ounce of his might, from what I can tell from my distance, close-fisted pummeling (the dog)," Hulin told the Citizen Times July 18. "It took me a moment by the time I looked down at the dog to realize there was blood everywhere and then I just happen to watch the dog's final breaths."
The 11-year-old mixed-breed dog named Beignet, as identified by Hulin, died at the scene after what APD called an “unprovoked” attack.
Akhavi said this case is likely to take three to six months as they accumulate more information on Henry’s background.
"Last time I drove by there, there was a little memorial set up under the tree that it happened at," Hulin mentioned, saying they held a memorial for Beignet two days after the incident, on June 28.
Henry is still in custody at the Buncombe County Detention Center under a bond of $10,000. Buncombe County Assistant District Attorney Joshua Harrold is prosecuting the case.
The Citizen Times reached out to the Asheville Police Department and Harrold for this story but did not receive a response before press time.
Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. News tips? Email Ryley at rober@gannett.com. Please support local, daily journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville man accused of stabbing dog to death court case continued
