Phillips admitted in court to hitting his dog with a belt and that he beat Meiko/Rico with a cooking pot until the pot bent. It seems that his sentence was part of a plea deal in order have greater charges dropped. He will spend about a month in jail for torturing a defenseless animal.

Michelle Reid was present in court for his sentencing on Thursday and when asked about her reaction to the sentence, she had this to say, “I guess I should be content with the fact that we went above and beyond to give Rico a voice, submitting a forensic report of my findings, meeting with law enforcement, meeting with DSS, etc, etc. Or maybe I should be content knowing that the last of Rico's days on this earth were filled with love and kindness. Or maybe I should be content with the fact that the man that caused so much pain and suffering to a powerless creature has a record now and is at least serving 30 days behind bars. Well, I am far from content.”

Was justice truly served for Rico? We certainly do not think so… RIP Rico, know we fought for you til the end…

Rico was indeed a gentle giant as shown in the below pictures, he made friends with everyone he met including Peanut, Lowcountry’s Dog’s Chief Canine Officer, as well as tiny VARR rescues, Gerbil and Buckwheat.