Man who brutally killed dog named Ollie gets 10 years

HOLLYWOOD — Brendan Evans, the Hollywood man who killed a pit bull named Ollie in a brutal 2017 stabbing attack, was sentenced Friday to 10 years for violating probation in a robbery case in Hernando County.

Evans pleaded guilty in the Ollie case last week and was sentenced to 10 years in state prison on two counts of animal cruelty — one for stabbing the dog multiple times and one for leaving him trapped inside a suitcase.

Evans, 35, will serve both prison terms concurrently, his defense attorney Michael Gottlieb said Friday.

Evans, who initially entered a not-guilty plea in the Ollie case, now admits to stabbing the dog more than 50 times and trapping him inside a blue suitcase.

The case captivated and horrified animal lovers worldwide.

A couple out for a walk on Oct. 10, 2017, heard whimpers and cries coming from a blue suitcase dumped in a Hollywood alleyway. Police rushed the mutilated dog to the vet, but he died two days later.

Evans was charged with the crime after Hollywood police linked his DNA to the suitcase.

He has been behind bars for the past four years since his arrest on Nov. 15, 2017.

Gottlieb says he requested Evans be sent to Moore Haven Correctional Facility in Glades County, where he believes Evans might have better access to mental health professionals. But officials with the state Department of Corrections will ultimately decide where he ends up, Gottlieb said.

“I wish we had found a resolution that would have provided for greater mental health help,” Gottlieb said. “But I understand the need for the state to punish individuals to deter future crimes of violence such as this.”

Prosecutor Maria Schneider said she plans to file a motion asking the court to ban Evans from ever owning animals again.

The Broward State Attorney’s Office charged Evans with 17 counts of animal cruelty. A conviction on all 17 counts could have resulted in an 85-year sentence, but only if the prosecution could prove the wounds were inflicted at different times.

“While nothing will erase the enormity of the abuse caused to Ollie, we were concerned that it might be impossible to prove that all of Ollie’s injuries were not inflicted at the same time,” Schneider said. “If that was the outcome after trial, the defendant could have faced just five years in prison. The plea agreement resulted in a 10-year prison term.”

SOUTH FLORIDA SUN SENTINEL FILE Ollie the pit bull was found trapped in a suitcase, bleeding from more than 50 stab wounds. Vets thought he’d recover, but he died two days later.

Evans