Mother of man accused of killing pup hopes new depositions will point to son's innocence

Nearly nine months after a Naples family was upended with an arrest for beating a puppy to death, the man's mother says they have hope their good names will be restored.

Recent depositions in the case accusing Robert Garon, 23, of fatally beating his beloved puppy Buzz Lightyear seem to shift blame, said his mother, Suzanne Garon, also of Naples.

"The stress is just chronic, ongoing cancer," Suzanne Garon, citing lost jobs, mailed threats, hospital visits because of stress and lost family time. "I would say that we all have to live with it. It's taken a huge toll on all of us emotionally."

Some of the worst is the public's perception of the arrest. An anonymous mailed threat addressed Robert Garon, wishing death and destruction on him and his family.

"We will state this to you, you will never rest easy again," the letter collected by Suzanne Garon reads. "We are making it our mission, it will end up excruciatingly awful for you, to make sure that the only words that you hear, in your last breaths, are the words: 'Buzz Lightyear.'"

The letter further threatens that Robert Garon wouldn't sense the alleged perpetrators' attack. It includes a printed excerpt from an initial Naples Daily News story on the case.

Suzanne Garon filed a report with the Collier County Sheriff's Office. According to the report, about 4 p.m. Aug. 27, 2022, Suzanne Garon opened the letter, which arrived from California and didn't include a return address.

The law office of Donald Day, who represents the younger Garon has said the depositions expose flaws in law enforcement's procedures on scene, naming two other men in the puppy's death.

Depositions are formal statements promised to be true under oath.

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Sizanne Garon said she's ended up in the emergency room twice with various medical conditions that were "certainly brought on by stress."

"My son ... on a daily basis ... His life has been turned upside down," Suzanne Garon said.

Suzanne Garon said Garon lost his job at JPMorgan Chase because of the case. He graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University with a finance degree.

Garon and his girlfriend have supported one another through the ensuing months, Suzanne Garon said. She added that his girlfriend has found a new job.

"The depositions were extremely encouraging for us because they confirmed what we've known from day one," Suzanne Garon said of the other two men who had contact with the dog. The Naples Daily News is not naming the men identified in the depositions.

Suzanne Garon says she hopes jurors will exonerate her son during the July trial.

"I think there's a difference between what our hope would be and what our expectation is," she said. "Certainly our hope would be that the real guilty party is held accountable, and that they are punished for that."

Robert Garon pleaded not guilty on Sept. 6, 2022. He passed an independent polygraph test administered by John Hisler, an independent polygraph examiner, Suzanne Garon said. While polygraphs aren't admissible in court, they could point detectives in the right direction.

According to Day's office, on the night of the incident, Robert Garon left Buzz home for two hours. When he returned, Buzz was in distress. The two other men were in the apartment while he was gone.

Garon rushed Buzz to the emergency vet, but it was too late to save him. He and his girlfriend were devastated by the loss of their beloved Buzz, who they referred to as their "son," Suzanne Garon said.

Day couldn't be reached for additional comment before publication.

How has the case affected Robert Garon's family?

Suzanne Garon said family members plan to attend Garon's jury trial, set for July 17.

"We have many friends who are 100% in support of our son who love him, who believe in him, who know his integrity, who know his personality," she said.

Suzanne Garon said the family has received other threatening letters in the mail.

"We're certainly a lot more cautious," Suzanne Garon said. "We're always looking around to see if there's any kind of crazy person that's, you know, going to come after us."

She added that the threats have died down since "the initial flurry of it all."

What restrictions does Robert Garon face?

Among others, Garon can't be around any pets when he visits his family, Suzanne Garon said.

"That's one of the many tragedies of this case," Suzanne Garon said. "Our family has had pets Robert's entire life. We've had cats, we've had dogs, guinea pigs."

She said he has always loved being around dogs.

When FGCU's campus closed for the pandemic in March 2020, Robert Garon returned home when they brought their newest furry family member home, Suzanne Garon said.

"For the first year of her life, he goes around her all the time," she said. "Now of course, she's 3-and-a-half years old and 8 pounds, and, according to the judge's orders, he's not allowed to be around her."

Suzanne Garon said for Garon to visit family, she has to find a neighbor willing to accommodate the dog.

"Our dog who loves Robert to death. She cries when she hears this voice," Suzanne Garon said. "[She] desperately wants to be around him. He desperately wants to be around her."

Background to the case

The Sheriff's Office began investigating Aug. 2 after Collier County Domestic Animal Services contacted it about a suspected abuse involving the puppy.

Detectives with the sheriff’s Animal Cruelty Investigations Alliance arrested Garon on Aug. 11, 2022, and charged him with the late July slaying of his 5-month-old puppy.

The investigation showed Robert Garon and his girlfriend Buzz to the Emergency Pet Hospital where they were unable to provide hospital staff with an explanation for the puppy’s injuries, officials said.

The puppy was wet, disoriented, and unable to breathe normally, unable to stand or pick its head up. The puppy died at the hospital.

A witness later contacted the hospital and told staff they heard Garon beating the puppy on July 29, according to the sheriff's office report.

During a sheriff's investigation, veterinarians performed a necropsy on the puppy at Humane Society Naples.

"This dog’s death was caused by non-accidental, blunt force trauma to the head and body with secondary internal hemorrhage. I believe he suffered significantly from his injuries before death," the report said in part.

Both the sheriff's office and Samantha Syoen, spokesperson for the State Attorney's Office, said they can't comment on active cases.

Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Twitter @TomasFRoBeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran and Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Naples mom hopes depositions will prove son's innocence in puppy death