Irvine dog trainer sentenced to 12 years for killing 11 dogs in his care

IRVINE, Calif. - An Irvine dog trainer convicted of killing 11 dogs in his care was sentenced Friday to nearly 12 years in prison, while his assistant was ordered to spend three years behind bars for helping to cover up the crime. 

Kwong "Tony" Chun Sit, 54, and his assistant, Tingfeng Liu, 24, were sentenced following their convictions connected to the deaths at Sit's Happy K9 Academy.

What we know:

Sit was sentenced to 11 years and 10 months in prison following his June 17 conviction on 10 felony counts of animal cruelty, two felony counts of animal abuse, and misdemeanor counts of attempting to conceal evidence and concealing evidence. 

His co-defendant, Liu, was sentenced to three years after being convicted of felony accessory after the fact alongside misdemeanor counts of destroying or concealing evidence and attempting to do so.

The 11 dogs that died under Sit's care were identified as Shadow, Ziggy, Miko, Rosie, Theo, Puffin, Cody, Zoe, Luna, Bang Bang, and Saint. 

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According to Deputy District Attorney Danica Drotman, the dogs stayed at the Happy K9 Academy for one- to two-week training periods. Necropsies later revealed that eight of the dogs died from heat stroke and one from blunt-force trauma.

When authorities investigated Sit's home, an officer discovered his Mercedes-Benz van filled with canine carrying containers that reeked of bleach. 

Deputy District Attorney Michael Chay argued that the dogs were left in the vehicle, stating, "That van was a death bed." Evidence indicated the dogs had been crammed into carriers that were too tight for them. When police asked Sit where his own dog was during the incident, he stated his dog was inside his air-conditioned apartment with him.

Following the deaths, Sit sent clients text messages claiming the dogs "died peacefully" in their sleep overnight, offering refunds and stating the dogs would be cremated. 

Sit and Liu then took the bodies to multiple crematory services. While two dogs were successfully cremated, authorities stepped in to prevent the remaining cremations.

What we don't know:

While necropsies confirmed that heat stroke killed eight dogs and blunt-force trauma killed a puppy named Rosie, it remains unclear exactly what caused the deaths of the remaining two dogs. 

The exact nature of the relationship between Sit and Liu remains disputed, as prosecutors alleged they were romantically involved, while the defense maintained it was strictly a boss-employee dynamic.

What they're saying:

Prosecutors heavily condemned Sit's actions and his subsequent messages to the dog owners. 

Chay argued that the text messages to customers were "lie after lie after lie because we know the truth. We know he was not actually sorry... and it was painful and they suffered... It wasn't unexpected. If anything, it was preventable." 

Chay also noted that a prosecution expert testified that the puppy Rosie was "so afraid she urinated on herself" before dying of "blunt force trauma to the head."

The defense attorneys presented a different narrative of panic and lack of criminal intent. Sit's attorney, Kate Corrigan, argued that things happened very quickly and "were not the fault of Mr. Sit," instead describing the timeline as "one bad decision after another" born out of panic attacks.

Liu's attorney, Fred Fascenelli, argued his client was simply an employee following orders, stating, "There's no proof she knew a crime had been committed." 

He pushed back against the cover-up narrative, stating, "I don't see a nefarious aspect of cleaning up after a number of animals had passed away," and noted that Liu had openly asked Sit if he really wanted to leave the bodies at a landfill.

Crime and Public SafetyPets and AnimalsIrvine