Willie Bee Turner, of Oakland, was found guilty of malicious killing of an animal, animal abuse, and two counts of arson on Thursday after killing his puppy

A 21-year-old California man was convicted of burning his eight-week Chihuahua-mix puppy alive after the dog defecated in his friend's apartment more than a year ago.

Willie Bee Turner, of Oakland, was found guilty of malicious killing of an animal, animal abuse, and two counts of arson on Thursday.

Turner was visiting a friend in Sacramento with his puppy, named Angel Star, when the incident occurred in the late hours of January 20, 2015.

While at the apartment, the puppy defecated and it became apparent that the young dog had worms, according to the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office.

In the late hours of January 21, Turner became enraged and told the puppy that she had 'betrayed' him and began excessive discipline, the release said.

Witnesses described the scene as an 'hour of escalating cruelty that led to egregious abuse and its death', according to the Sacramento Bee.

The puppy soon began limping, and witnesses saw Turner douse the animal with a bleach cleanser, KTLA reported.

Witnesses then took the puppy and put it in a dog carrier.

But Turner grabbed the carrier and walked across the street, where he lit fire to the bedding and the puppy inside the carrier, the release said.

The charred remains of the puppy were found by firefighters just after midnight on January 22, after receiving a call about a debris fire.

'It was a small dog, in a small crate that was burned beyond belief,' Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Capt. Michele Eidam told the Sacramento Bee after the animal's death. 'It's horrible.'

A county veterinarian testified that the puppy was burned alive while trapped inside the carrier.