SEATTLE — This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com.
A former Ballard kennel employee pleaded guilty Wednesday to a first-degree animal cruelty charge after he killed a dog by beating it to death in August 2025.
The defendant, Dejean Bowens, faced the highest-level felony animal cruelty charge in Washington. The dog’s owners, Anthony and Neela Brocato, addressed the court.
In his victim impact statement, Anthony Brocato said Mitch was more than a pet to him and his partner.
“The happiness and love Mitch brought to our lives were nothing short of magical. Mitch was a 65-pound black lab who was the sweetest, loving, gentle creature god could have put on this earth. He was more than our animal companion; he was our shadow, our good morning, and our goodnight. He was our baby boy,” he said.
Anthony Brocato said Mitch fought to survive, and that his last memory of him was a faint nuzzle.
“My final memory of Mitch alive was him pulling away from his oxygen mask … reaching his nose towards me. Despite all my optimism in the moment, I know now he was trying to say goodbye to me,” he said.
Anthony Brocato called out Bowens for his monstrous actions.
“I watched the security footage of you kicking and punching my sweet boy, Mitch. Once you realized you took it too far and called your co-worker for help, you cried … not because of what you did to Mitch … but you cried for yourself because you knew there was no hiding this heinous act of violence,” he said. “It was clear to me this wasn’t the first time you’ve hurt an animal, but you knew this would be the first time you would face consequences.”
Neela Brocato gave birth to the couple’s first child on July 31, 2025. They were planning to pick up Mitch from Lazy Dog Crazy Dog on August 3, a facility they had used for years without incident. Instead, Neela Brocato said Bowens took that moment from them.
“What you did to Mitch was not just violent. It was devastating. It was cruel. It was final,” she said. “And it changed every part of my life forever. There was no closure in bringing our newborn daughter home from the hospital hours before you killed him. There is no peace in knowing his life ended because of your violent actions and that his last hours on earth were spent in pain and terror. There is no healing from the fact that he was not only taken from us, but that his life ended in a way that was brutal and senseless.”
Neela Brocato spoke directly to Bowens, contrasting the violence of his actions with the love Mitch brought into their lives.
“Mitch brought light into this world. You brought violence, pain, and death. And no matter what happens to you from this point forward, that is the truth you will never be able to outrun. That is what you did. That is your legacy,” she said.
Zero prior convictions limit sentence to 1-3 months under state law
Bowens faces up to three months with credit for time served on electronic home detention, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (KCPAO).
KCPAO noted that judges follow the sentencing guidelines set by state lawmakers, and a specific individual’s sentencing range is influenced by their offender score. An offender score is influenced by the number of previous convictions a person has.
In this case, Bowens did not have any previous convictions, making his offender score zero. Bowens score corresponds with a one- to three-month sentencing range set by lawmakers. Prosecutors sought the highest sentence possible under the range set by lawmakers.
“The unfortunate reality is the statewide sentencing guidelines for crimes against animals do not reflect the emotional impact of animal cruelty,” KCPAO stated.
First-degree animal cruelty allows for a lifetime ban on possessing, owning, and caring for animals of any kind. For Bowens, this felony conviction also prohibits him from legally possessing firearms.
“There were some folks who wondered, ‘Why didn’t you go for a gross misdemeanor?’ Which would have meant a reduced charge from a felony to a misdemeanor, but potentially more jail time because that would have given the judge an option to sentence him for up to a year,” KCPAO’s Casey McNerthney told KIRO Newsradio. “The reason is we wanted that felony conviction because of the 1st degree animal cruelty and felony conviction. Prosecutors could ask as part of the agreement that a judge order him not to have any contact with any animal in the future.
“So not only does he have that felony conviction. But he can’t have contact with any animals going forward, and that wouldn’t have been possible with a misdemeanor,” McNerthney said. “It would have been a benefit in the short term, had the judge been given that option to go for a few more months in jail, but what we thought was to get that felony conviction, not only to have that felony on his record, which increases his offender score if he ever has any kind of felony conviction going forward, but also, we really wanted to get that no contact order with any animal going forward.”
KCPAO noted that the felony conviction also gives Bowens a higher offender score, meaning that if he is convicted of an additional, unrelated crime, he would face a higher sentencing range.
“I think a lot of people will hear this and, understandably, be outraged at either prosecutors or the judge,” McNerthney said. “The judge didn’t have an option, and neither did the prosecutors with that felony conviction to go for a higher range because the standard range is set by the state lawmakers. If there is something to be done, it’s at the state level. And I think that would probably be a bipartisan effort because nobody wants to see an animal abused like this.”
Employee ‘lost control’ after dog knocked over object at Ballard facility
According to a report from the Seattle Police Department (SPD) obtained by MyNorthwest, the employee, Bowens, became irritated after a black lab, named Mitch, knocked something over while at the Lazy Dog Crazy Dog boarding facility in Ballard on Aug. 3. Bowens allegedly “lost control” and kicked the dog multiple times.
“His response was to brutally kick Mitch and continued to punch and kick, and unfortunately, it resulted in the death of this poor pet,” Douglas Wagoner, a spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, said.
According to court documents obtained by MyNorthwest, another employee at the kennel, Nicholas Slater, received a frantic call from Bowens at approximately 4:40 a.m., crying, saying, “I messed up bad. I’m freaking out. Can you get down here now?”
Slater arrived at the facility shortly after, where Bowens repeatedly told him, “I f***ed up” before admitting that he kicked the dog.
Mitch suffered from internal bleeding after the attack. According to the police report, Mitch was unable to stand once he was brought to a veterinary clinic. Vet staff attempted five rounds of CPR, but ultimately declared that the dog had died. Mitch’s abdomen was full of blood, the veterinarians told SPD. The emergency vet clinic also stated Mitch’s kidneys may have been ruptured during the assault.
“This was a brutal attack on the pet of another, simply because the animal knocked something over during his stay at a boarding kennel,” Leesa Manion, the prosecuting attorney, wrote, according to court documents obtained by MyNorthwest. “Mitch sought shelter from the defendant’s attack, but the defendant continued to follow Mitch. The abuse ultimately led to Mitch’s death. Concerning to the state is the defendant’s extreme response to an animal tipping something over.”
Five rounds of CPR failed to save family pet
The attack happened around 4 a.m., but Mitch wasn’t brought to a veterinarian clinic until approximately 5:45 a.m.
“According to the vet who performed CPR on the dog, there would have been a greater chance of saving its life had it been brought in for medical attention sooner,” Wagoner told KIRO Newsradio.
Lazy Dog Crazy Dog released a statement following the incident.
“We are heartbroken and outraged by what happened,” the kennel stated. “The actions of this former employee are in complete violation of our values, our mission, and the standard of care we’ve upheld for over 16 years while serving tens of thousands of dogs. We continue to support law enforcement and hope that justice is served for the dog.”
Bowens previously pleaded not guilty to first-degree animal cruelty in King County Superior Court in October 2025. Anthony Brocato and Neela Brocato were in court for the hearing.
“We are just really determined to get justice for Mitch,” Neela Brocatotold KIRO 7in 2025. “He deserves justice, and we want to make sure that this never happens to any other dog.”
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