The Brief
- Domingo Rodriguez asked a Pinellas County judge to let him out of jail on bond.
- He’s appealing his conviction for killing a newly adopted dog and dumping his body in 2024.
- The case inspired Dexter’s Law, which Gov. Ron DeSantis signed in May.
CLEARWATER, Fla. – The attorney representing the Pinellas County man convicted of killing and dumping a rescue dog days after adopting him was back in court on Friday, asking a judge to let him out of jail on bond while he appeals his conviction.
Conviction of Domingo Rodriguez
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.
In February 2025, a jury found Rodriguez guilty of aggravated cruelty to animals and unlawful disposal of bodies of dead animals.
He’s currently serving a sentence of one year and 60 days in jail.…