A Burlington, Massachusetts, man charged with animal cruelty appeared via Zoom in Woburn District Court Wednesday as the victim dog’s family calls for justice for Gigi.
John Romano Jr.’s 69-year-old father was walking Gigi on a leash at the Mill Pond Reservoir right behind their house in early December, when two unleashed dogs began fighting with her. That’s when their owner allegedly came up from behind on a bike, smashing Gigi in the face with the tire, then his fists.
“There was nobody around it was just him and her,” John Romano Jr. told NBC10 Boston. “You don’t hurt my family like that. You don’t leave a grown man and a dog to bleed. It’s just not right.”
Austin Beliveau Jr., 45, is accused of breaking her jaw, nose and knocking out several teeth. He called into Woburn District Court along with his lawyer, Kevin Mullen, via Zoom on Wednesday.
Mullen did not respond to NBC10 Boston requests for comment. The pre-trial hearing was pushed back for a second time while prosecutors await documentation from the vet for her emergency facial reconstructive surgery.
“Just pre-trial, pre-trial, pre-trial,” Romano Jr. said. “They have the police report. We have the evidence. We know what happened. Let’s just get this over with.”
Thanks to some help from the community, Gigi now has a big fenced-in yard, trail cameras for security, plenty of toys and even a portrait drawn by Melrose-based artist Paula Anastasi-Buehler, who donated the piece after seeing the story on NBC10 Boston. Copies can be ordered from fineartamerica.com.
“It’s a beautiful sketch of Gigi that we’re going hang in the house. I’m having it framed right now,” Romano Jr. said.
Their third pre-trial hearing has been set for April 10, which is John’s father’s birthday.