New Kensington couple charged in death of 2-year-old also face animal abuse counts

A New Kensington man accused of inflicting fatal injuries on a 2-year-old boy also beat a dog so badly that one of its legs had to be amputated, according to court documents.

New Kensington police on Wednesday charged Keith Dale Lilly Jr., 31, with cruelty to animals and neglect of animals. Police charged his girlfriend, Teresa Lynn Fetterman, 24, with neglect of animals.

Westmoreland County prosecutors announced Wednesday that they will seek the death penalty against Lilly, who was charged with homicide after Fetterman’s son, Mikel Fetterman, died April 24.

Teresa Fetterman is charged with involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault and other offenses in her son’s death.

In criminal complaints against Lilly and Fetterman, police said they became aware of the alleged abuse of a dog at Lilly and Fetterman’s residence in Valley Royal Court while investigating the abuse of Mikel, who had first been taken to a hospital in late March. The dog was a roughly 8-month-old female boxer/mastiff mix.

In the complaints, police said a neighbor in March told officers she heard Lilly say, “I’m not afraid to kill it,” referring to the dog. In early April, the neighbor provided police with two videos, dated from February, in which a whipping noise is heard and the dog yelping.

In April, at the suggestion of police, Fetterman surrendered the dog to Animal Protectors. The dog walked with a limp and had a hole in a back leg.

A veterinarian inspected the dog and noted its injuries and wounds, which included a lesion on its left hip, a lame and swollen left front leg, sagging or outward turned eyelids, and a broken tooth. The lameness and swollen elbow was believed to be from an untreated fracture, and an x-ray found a dislocated elbow.

While being interviewed about her son’s assault before his death, Fetterman allegedly told police that she heard Lilly hurt the dog if it had done something. She allegedly told police she thought it was normal and did not realize how badly the dog was hurt.

Police said they learned in July that the dog had a leg amputated, and had been adopted.

Lilly and Fetterman are both being held in the Westmoreland County Prison. They are scheduled for preliminary hearings on the animal abuse charges Oct. 15 before District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr.