Neighbors take in homeless woman, she strangles their puppy

A Salem, Oregon, woman, displaced by a home fire, is accused of strangling her neighbor’s puppy on Wednesday; a neighbor who allowed to stay at their home.

The Statesman Journal reports that Meagan Lafferty, 43, reportedly tried to steal the young puppy from its owner’s home on Friday night. She picked up the pup and started to walk away, but the puppy’s owner tried to stop Lafferty, but the suspect said she was “God” and would do what she wanted.

“I am God, and I am here to end his misery.”

Lafferty then allegedly wrapped her hands around the puppy’s neck so tightly that when authorities arrived, they had to pry her fingers away. The puppy, a Great Pyrenees/Labrador mix, passed away.

Lafferty was displaced after a fire broke out on the first unit of an apartment complex where she lived, near South Salem High School.Following the fire, a mom with an infant at home invited Lafferty over. That’s when Lafferty spotted the puppy. The worried puppy owner called 911 while Lafferty sat on her recliner, squeezing the dog’s neck.

Kevin Spencer, a neighbor, said that the family that owned the puppy, a young couple with a baby, have been so upset over the ordeal that they haven’t returned home.

“They had no idea what they were getting into,” Spencer said.

Lafferty was arrested and charged with aggravated animal abuse and theft. She’s booked at the Marion County jail, where she currently remains on $20,000 bond.