Trial against Tulsa dog groomer for animal cruelty begins

The animal cruelty trial against a Tulsa dog groomer began on Monday.

A video showed the dog being beaten and later dying.

It happened last year at a store called Doggy Doodles in Tulsa.

The public prosecutor charged Diego Angel with animal cruelty.

A major piece of evidence is the surveillance video from the store.

The trial was scheduled to begin first thing Monday morning, but was postponed until after lunch. In the afternoon, the judge and prosecutor questioned 36 potential jurors.

None of them said they knew Diego, but he was not described to them in detail in the widely seen video.

Over the past year, animal rights activists have been closely monitoring this case and conducting a pressure campaign to ensure criminal prosecution.

They wore T-shirts that said “Justice for Atlas” – the name of the dog that was killed. But after the final hearing, and before the jury saw any of it, the judge said spectators were not allowed to wear that slogan in the courtroom because it would unduly influence the jury.

District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler is personally prosecuting the case. Testimony is expected on Tuesday; the trial will last only a few days.

The defense attorney said he did not plan to call any witnesses beyond the few who testified for the prosecution.