CLEARWATER, Fla. - A court of appeals has upheld the guilty verdict in the Domingo Rodriguez criminal case.
What we know:
According to the 2nd District Court of Appeals, the court has upheld the original guilty verdict against Domingo Rodriguez. He was originally found guilty in February 2025 of aggravated cruelty to animals and improper disposal of an animal carcass.
According to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, Rodriguez had adopted a bulldog mix, Dexter, from a shelter in May 2024. Just four days later, deputies found the dog decapitated, floating in a plastic bag on East Beach in Fort Desoto.
Pictured: Domingo Rodriguez in a Pinellas County courtroom.
A Pinellas County judge granted bond back in July 2025 for the man convicted of killing and dumping a rescue dog days after adopting him, when he appealed his conviction.
He was given a $55,000 bond, which he posted. The conditions of his bond were that Rodriguez would remain free as long as he made monthly appearances in court to check the status of his appeal, and to surrender himself to the sheriff's office in the event that the appeal was denied.
What's next:
Rodriguez surrendered to the sheriff's office and is now in custody to serve the remainder of his sentence of 364 days in jail.
The Inspiration For Dexter's Law
The backstory:
Domingo Rodriguez adopted a 4-year-old bulldog mix, Dexter, from Pinellas County Animal Services in May 2024. Four days later, deputies found the dog decapitated in a plastic bag floating in the mangroves of East Beach in Fort De Soto.
Pictured: Dexter.
In February 2025, a jury found Rodriguez guilty of aggravated cruelty to animals and unlawful disposal of bodies of dead animals, two misdemeanors. Judge Keith Meyer sentenced him to one year and 60 days in jail, which is the maximum sentence allowed by law. Rodriguez also paid several fines.
The following month, Rodriguez’s attorney filed a notice of appeal, and in May, his attorney filed a motion for bond pending appeal, arguing that Rodriguez has no prior criminal history.
The judge granted the $55,000 bond in July 2025. On the terms that if he bonded out, he must wear a GPS monitor, surrender his driver's license and passport, have no contact with any animals or witnesses in his case and appear in court each month during the appeals process.
"This was a difficult matter the court had to consider," Judge Meyer said.
Dig deeper:
The case outraged animal activists and led Florida lawmakers to pass Dexter's Law, which increases punishment for especially heinous animal cruelty cases, and establishes an offender database on the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's website.
Those in the database will be banned from owning, living with or working with an animal.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Dexter's Law in May 2025.
RELATED: Gov. DeSantis signs Dexter's Law, Trooper's Law targeting animal abuse
The Source: This article was written using a release from the 2nd District Court of Appeals and previous FOX 13 reporting.