Ex-SC Republican leader said God commanded him to kill parents' dog: police

Anna Lee | The Greenville News

A former South Carolina Republican Party leader is accused of killing and mutilating his parents' dog, then telling police God commanded it.

James John Todd Kincannon, 37, of Simpsonville, was charged with ill treatment of an animal, according to an arrest warrant released by the Simpsonville Police Department late Thursday afternoon.

The warrant alleges that James John Todd Kincannon "needlessly mutilated" his parent's 10-year-old beagle/cattle dog mix by "choking and stabbing the dog multiple times until death."

Police said they received a call about a disturbance at the Kincannons' home in the early morning hours of July 26. According to an incident report, a woman told an officer she was "absolutely terrified" because her son had killed one of their dogs with his bare hands.

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Officers who arrived at the scene found Kincannon covered in blood and what appeared to be dog hair, the report said.

The dog, named Bailey, was located in the kitchen in a pool of blood, police said. It had defecated during the fight and suffered what appeared to be "numerous stab wounds," the report said.

Kincannon reportedly told police he killed the dog because he "got a command from God to do it," and that he was the "second coming of Christ." He also stated that "every 1,000 years Jesus needs a sacrifice and blood must be spilt," the report said.

Kincannon was arrested and taken to the hospital for psychiatric evaluation, according to the report.

Kincannon, an attorney, was named executive director of the state Republican Party in 2009. He was involved in several controversial election lawsuits and in 2012 represented Amanda Somers, a candidate for state Senate District 5 in Greenville County after the state Supreme Court ruled that financial and candidate-intent paperwork must be filed simultaneously.