Dallas, TX: As hundreds of animal lovers held a candlelight vigil for the severely burned puppy now known as Justice, the man reportedly responsible for setting him on fire, 18-year-old Darius Ewing, turned himself into police. A warrant had been issued for his arrest, and a $25,000 reward had been offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for harming the puppy.

DFW Rescue Me came to the rescue of the little four-month-old puppy. They named him “Justice”, since that is what they hoped he would get. He was rushed to an emergency clinic for treatment, however Justice sustained third degree burns on more than 70 percent of his body, and his poor little body could not handle it. Justice died 10 days after Ewing allegedly poured lighter fluid on the Labrador puppy, then flicked a lit cigarette at him.

The police report states that when they arrived at the scene, the badly burned puppy was hiding. It also states that a group of people were present and laughed as Ewing threw his lit cigarette at Justice. The group also had a rope, so possibly intended on hanging the little puppy as well. Police are still looking for the other suspects.

Ewing was arrested and charged with animal cruelty, a State Jail Felony in Texas. State Jail Felonies are punishable with a fine of up to $10,000 and/or a jail sentence of up to 10 years.

This petition respectfully requests that if found guilty, Darius Ewing receives the maximum sentence allowable under law for animal cruelty. Please speak out against animal cruelty and help get justice for Justice by adding your signature to this petition.

See more pictures of Justice and read more about his story on DFW Rescue Me’s Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/DFWRescueMe

For more information on this story: http://www.examiner.com/article/breaking-news-man-that-set-dog-on-fire-dallas-texas-turns-himself-in?CID=examiner_alerts_article

Read more about the candlelight vigil here: http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2012/04/21/suspect-in-justice-the-dogs-case-arrested/

Image courtesy of: DFW Rescue Me

This petition will be updated as more information becomes available; however, the intent will remain the same. Please see updates under "News" section below.