(New Haven, CT) - New Haven Judicial District State’s Attorney John P. Doyle, Jr. announced today that the Honorable Patrick J. Clifford on June 4, 2025, sentenced Arnaldo Silva, age 53, of North Branford, to five years in prison, execution suspended after 17 months served, followed by three years of probation, for the 2023 fatal stabbing of a dog.
On November 13, 2023, police searching the defendant’s home in the Northford section of North Branford found a bloody kitchen knife and a bulldog belonging to Silva’s daughter dead in a dog kennel at the home. A necropsy revealed the 2-year-old dog died as a result of multiple stab wounds.
On April 9, 2025 in New Haven Superior Court, the defendant pleaded guilty to charges of Cruelty to Animals, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-247(b)(1), Falsely Reporting an Incident, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-180c and of Violation of Conditions of Release, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-222a.
The case was investigated by the North Branford Police Department and prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney David J. Strollo.