North Carolina police are investigating the possible suicide of Army veteran Marinna Rollins who was charged with shooting her service dog last month. Fayetteville Police Lieutenant Todd Joyce said that investigators believe that 23-year-old Rollins killed herself.
North Carolina police are investigating the possible suicide of Army veteran Marinna Rollins, who was charged with shooting her service dog last month. Fayetteville Police Lieutenant Todd Joyce said that investigators believe that 23-year-old Rollins killed herself.
While Joyce declined to disclose what evidence detectives found, he did say that police were called to Rollins’ apartment around 3:00 A.M. on Sunday, May 7, after her body was found by friends who were having trouble contacting her.
Last month, Rollins and her boyfriend Jarren Heng, 25, were charged with cruelty to animals after investigators say they tied the dog to a tree and shot it multiple times with a rifle.
Cumberland County District Attorney Clark Reaves said the couple could be heard laughing on a video recording they made as the dog was killed. The video was later posted to Facebook.
Via WNCN:
The dog, named “Cumboui,” was shot with a rifle, court documents say. Rollins’ estranged husband, Matt Dyer, a Fort Bragg soldier, adopted the dog, then named “Huey,” before being deployed to Korea for a year.
Dyer says that, although he and Rollins were separated, she agreed to care for Huey during his deployment. Dyer told CBS North Carolina that during his deployment, Rollins got Huey certified as an emotional support dog.
Deputies also said there is video evidence in the dog shooting case the DA’s office said it will use. A close friend of Rollins’ uploaded video of the shooting to Facebook, saying they hoped it would get attention leading to punishment.
When confronted by Animal Control officers, the pair said that the dog cost $75 a week to feed and had some health issues.
Rollins’ suicide comes just nine days before the couple was scheduled to appear back in court. Furthermore, animals rights activists had scheduled a protest to be held outside the courthouse the day of the hearing, May 16.
