Woman Convicted Of Breaking Into Car, Killing Little Dog Inside And Hurling Its Body From Parking Garage

A California woman was found guilty of breaking into a car, killing a Chihuahua inside and then hurling the dog's body off the seventh floor of a parking garage.

Wakeen Best, 34, was convicted of animal cruelty, auto burglary and vandalism by a a San Francisco Superior Court jury on Friday, according to a news release by the San Francisco District Attorney.

The break-in happened on Feb. 10, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Best was on a high-rise parking garage around 2:15 p.m. and targeted the fanciest car she could find. It happened to be a white Mercedes with a 5-year-old dog named Dunky inside.

“This defendant showed no remorse and is responsible for the death of a little, defenseless animal,” District Attorney George Gascón said in the release. “This verdict is a small step toward bringing justice for Dunky. This verdict also sends a clear message that in San Francisco there are consequences for harming our beloved pets.”

When she broke into the car, the alarm went off and the dog yelped frantically. Audio from a forward-facing camera in the car recorded what happened. You can hear a dog yelping, according to SFGate.com, and a voice says, “Shut yo ass up!”

The yelping stops all of a sudden and the voice says "bitch," twice.

Best walked to a railing and threw the dog over. Police found blood pooled on the railing and smeared on the headrests and the back seat of the car. Dog waste was also found on the passenger's seat.

"The particularly cruel circumstances of this case spurred SFPD investigators to quickly identify the suspect from prior contacts and make an arrest," San Francisco Police Chief William Scott said in the release. "We are thankful to the San Francisco District Attorney's Office for their diligent work to secure a conviction in this case. In the weeks following this crime, city garages including the Sutter Street and Stockton Street parking structure have installed fencing, signage better lighting and surveillance cameras to discourage would-be thieves."

Best has a long rap sheet of breaking into vehicles, the Chronicle reported, and was known to employees of the garage. She was on probation for breaking into cars in the garage and had recently been issued an order to stay away from the area.

The trial lasted three weeks and the jury deliberated a single day, the release said. Best is set to be sentenced on Aug. 19.

[Photo: San Francisco Police Department]