A St. Petersburg man convicted of decapitating his newly adopted dog Dexter and dumping its remains in Fort De Soto Park in 2024, inspiring a new state law named after the animal, is back in jail after losing his appeal.
Domingo Rodriguez, 67, was booked into the Pinellas County Jail Wednesday to serve the nine-and-half months left of his sentence after the state’s Second District Court of Appeal affirmed his conviction, records show.
The court issued its opinion on April 8 and Pinellas Judge Keith Meyer ordered Rodriguez to be taken into custody during a status hearing Wednesday.
Rodriguez’s new release date is Feb. 22, jail records show.
“While we disagree with the courts’ decisions, both in the trial court and the Second District Court of Appeal, we respect the time and attention that they gave to my client,” Victor Zamora, Rodriguez’s attorney, said Thursday. “He respects the process, and now it’s time to try to put this behind him and complete his sentence and move on with his life.
“And hopefully,” Zamora added, “the public at large can move on from this as well. We understand the emotions behind everything.”
Rodriguez was found guilty by a jury in February 2025 on charges of animal cruelty and unlawful disposal of a dead animal. He was sentenced to one year and 60 days in jail, the maximum penalty allowed by state law.
Rodriguez served about five months in the county jail, then in July a Pinellas judge ruled that he could be released while an appeal was pending if he put up a $55,000 bond and met specific conditions. Rodriguez was released on July 15.
On May 10, 2024, Rodriguez and his wife adopted Dexter, a 4-year-old black and white bulldog mix, from Pinellas County Animal Services. Four days later, Dexter was found decapitated, floating in a bag among mangroves on the east beach of Fort De Soto.
Surveillance cameras captured Rodriguez driving his pickup truck in that area of the park on May 11 with a cooler in the back. At Rodriguez’s home, deputies found bags like the one in which Dexter was found.
Rodriguez was arrested May 15, 2024 and released the next day on a $5,150 bond.
After his conviction, Rodriguez and Zamora requested that he be released on bond while the appeal was pending due to his status as a first-time, nonviolent offender.
Judge Meyer wrote in his July ruling that he didn’t agree with Zamora’s characterization of Rodriguez as a “non-violent” offender.
“The evidence at trial demonstrated that the canine victim, Dexter, was slaughtered, and his body decapitated, mutilated, and disposed of, in an extremely violent manner, and with no apparent motive,” he wrote.
However, Meyer wrote, the court had “no choice” but to allow Rodriguez reasonable bond, noting that he was “in his mid-60s, has no prior record, was successful on pretrial release, and was convicted of misdemeanors.”
The case sparked outrage and a group of activists formed a group called Justice for Dexter, who pushed for the maximum penalty for Rodriguez. Dexter’s death also inspired legislation that enhances penalties for animal cruelty and establishes Florida’s first animal abuser database. Signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in May, Dexter’s Law took effect July 1.