Garrett Mitchell | The Republic | azcentral.com

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The owners of the Gilbert-area Green Acre kennel where more than 20 dogs died from heat exhaustion two years ago were each sentenced Friday to 60 days in jail and six years' probation.

MaLeisa and Jesse Todd Hughes pleaded guilty on June 30 to one felony count each of animal cruelty and fraud.

A plea deal originally offered by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office called for the couple to spend 23 days in jail and serve 230 hours of volunteer service in addition to a three-year probation.

Jesse Todd Hughes was to begin serving his jail time Friday. MaLeisa Hughes will begin her jail term on Jan. 15.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Margaret Mahoney sentenced them to considerably longer after an emotional daylong hearing in which dog owners pleaded for a harsher sentence.

Green Acre Dog Boarding had been pitched to them as a “Disneyland for Dogs,” where the animals could roam freely, although most of the dogs were found dead or dying in a small room.

Friday’s sentencing was a highly emotional conclusion to the criminal proceedings in the case, which has connected a group of dog owners mourning the loss of the “Gilbert 23.”

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“I did not lie. I never lied. I never lied ..." MaLeisa said to her attorneys as her husband was booked by sheriff's deputies. He whispered something to her and then his to parents, hugging his mother and werapping his arms around her with his pink handcuffs shackling his wrists.

In addition to the 60 days in jail, the Hugheses each were ordered to do 230 hours of community service. During their two consecutive three-year terms of probation, they were ordered not to acquire new animals, work at a boarding business or post about the case on social media..

Mahoney cited the number of victims and the massive amount of anguish and irreparable harm caused by the Hugheses as the reason for the extended sentence, which more than doubled from the proposed base of 23 days in jail.

Their attorneys argued that the couple should serve their time outside of Maricopa County. Their attorney, Garrett Smith, said possible heightened attention to their case from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office would be reason to have the Hugheses serve their sentences in Graham County.

Mahoney rebuffed that stipulation, saying that she did not have jurisdiction to send the defendants to another county to serve their jail sentences.

"I do not think that is feasible," Mahoney told Smith. "...This is really a major issue that should have been fleshed out before this."

More than 15 owners and their supporters attended the hearing Friday morning, with many wearing purple to honor the dogs’ deaths.

'He was more than a dog to me'

From the start of the hearing, dog owners who had lost beloved pets implored Mahoney to impose a longer jail sentence on the couple. Each shared photographs that were displayed to the courtroom as they reminisced on good times with their dogs and what brought them to Green Acre.

All spoke of how they felt betrayed by the Hugheses after they were promised their pets would be able to roam free in the house like they did at home.

Tearful victims said their lives have continued to be impacted in the wake of losing their pets. Some have rescued other dogs since 2014; others said they don't know if they could adopt a dog again.

"I hope the defense will honestly open up," said Cary Heath, who left three dogs at Green Acre. Turning to the defendants, Heath told them, "It's very important you tell the truth today."

It was the beginning of pointed, concise recollections of a two-year ordeal that has forever shaped this band of dog owners scattered throughout the Valley.

Barbara Peraza wept as she spoke of the impact her dog Koda had on her son, Giovanni, who has Asperger's syndrome, a condition on the autism spectrum that affects a person's ability to effectively socialize and communicate.

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Dog deaths at Gilbert boarding facility

She said Giovanni saw Koda as his "little brother," not a pet. The Hugheses, she said, were the monsters in her son's nightmares.

Minutes later, Giovanni, bringing in a service dog from Maricopa County to help comfort him, addressed the court to remember Koda.

"As someone with Asperger's, it's very difficult for me to socialize with others. I was glad to have someone to share my life with, even if they were a dog," he said. "But he was more than a dog to me. Koda was my best friend, my brother."Mon

He said he was upset with the plea deal and asked for justice for his dog.

The Perazas were not alone in advocating for a stricter punishment.

Valerie Collins, whose two Bernese Mountain dogs died at Green Acre, showed photos and video of her retrieving their decomposing bodies from the kennel to illustrate the depravity.

“I don’t think 23 days is enough. You can see the impact it’s made on us – we’ve had to fight for every bit of justice we have,” Collins said before recommending a 230-day jail sentence for both defendants. “I wake up every night haunted by these dogs dying.”

David Gillette, who with his wife, Shannon, left their two golden retrievers, Sherman and Parker, at the Green Acre facility when they left on a family vacation, tearfully recalled the anguish they felt after losing two animals they saw as sons.

One of the dogs was the best man at their wedding and sat alongside Gillette as the couple recited their vows.

“They were very, very important members of our family,” Shannon said.

David Gillette reiterated his wife’s statement and expressed disappointment in the 23-day jail sentence that was proposed.

“The state of Arizona proclaims animals are property. The cellphone I brought in is property. The toothbrush I have is property. The car I drove to get here is property. The state proclaims each of our dogs is worth one day. … One day for one dog doesn’t make sense. We have a memory for every single day over a period of nine years with each one of our animals. That life is worth one day, one memory.”

He also spoke of how the victims' group has grown close over the past two years, forming a bond linked by tragedy.

“We didn’t ask for this. I don’t know what any of us would have done without each other. We’ve grown so close,” he said.

Mahoney’s eyes locked with the victims, and she demonstrated empathy as she cracked a smile as Gillette infectiously recalled his enthusiasm for purchasing the dogs.

23 dogs boarded at the kennel died

MaLeisa and Jesse Todd Hughes originally were charged with 29 counts of animal cruelty and fraud after 21 dogs were discovered dead or dying on June 20, 2014, inside a small room in their 2,500-square-foot home.

Investigators said the dogs did not have enough air for more than six hours inside a 9-foot-by-12-foot room.

Two other dogs also died around the same time. One dog died at the kennel on June 18, 2014, before the heat-related incident. Another dog escaped from the kennel and was found dead, believed to have been hit by a car

In addition to victims, prosecutors called veterinarian Dr. Bernard Mangone, who performed the necropsies on the dogs, to speak. Mangone said the animals suffered for a significant period of time after they were left alone.

Mangone said his experience at the couple’s house was thoroughly negative as Maricopa County sheriff’s deputies combed the scene.

“These people are truly some of the most unpleasant individuals I have ever met in my life,” he said. “(They showed) a complete lack of compassion for the animals … these people should not have nor interact with animals."

MaLeisa and Jesse Todd Hughes were vacationing in Florida and had left the dogs in the care of their adult daughter and then-son-in-law, who is the son of U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz.

Logan and Austin Flake initially were charged in addition to the Hugheses as caretakers in the fatal incident, but charges were dropped in early 2015 after attorneys called out flaws in the investigation against them. The couple later divorced.

D.S. Woodfill/The Republic

Family and friends: Show mercy on the couple

Logan Brown, 22, who originally was charged alongside her parents in the case, spoke about their character Friday and gave a small amount of insight on what occurred that day.

A tearful Brown apologized to the victims, stating, "I am truly sorry and we feel really bad for the dog owners. I hope they know that we are really sorry and it's not the way they think it is."

My parents are good people, and they have good hearts. They're not perfect, shiny human beings. They are trying to do the right thing. Logan Brown

Before she remarried in May, Brown lived with her parents and recalled seeing them praying for the victims, saying that illustrated their good hearts.

Brown told Mahoney that her stepfather taught her how to take care of the dogs — and advised that she take them outside for two or three hours four times throughout the day. She said when she last saw the dogs at 11:30 p.m., they were "fine and healthy."

"They were well taken care of; they weren't shoved into a room," she said.

Brown asked the judge to consider her younger siblings in delivering the sentence.

"My parents are good people, and they have good hearts," she said. "They're not perfect, shiny human beings. They are trying to do the right thing."

Other family members, including MaLeisa's brother and neighbors, pleaded for mercy on the family, who they said has been vilified and faced with harassment.

Jesse Todd Hughes' father, Jesse Hughes, told the judge that his son had a connection to dogs from childhood. He said that though his son makes mistakes, he is certain he will learn from this experience.

"I know that losing someone or a pet who's really close to you is a tough experience," he said. "I sure am thankful that one day we'll be reunited (with our dogs)."

When the couple decided to open the boarding business after family had them take care of friends and family pets for years, the senior Hughes recalled his son calling him to tell him that he "found his dream job — he enjoyed it and appreciated the opportunity to do it."

During the turmoil surrounding the discovery, the younger Hughes told his father that he'd lied to the owners and misled them because he didn't want them to see what had occurred.

He expressed sympathy to the victims.

"We believe in prayer and we believe it's important to give comfort and healing for those who lost a special pet in their life. We have empathy for them," he said.

Prosecutor: 23 days in jail may not be enough

Prosecutor C.H. Chung recommended that the 23 days in jail be used as a base term but in light of seeing the immense impact on the victims, Chung said 90 days would be more appropriate for the couple to serve.

In addition, two consecutive three-year probation terms were recommended as "extended monitoring is warranted," Chung said. He expressed concerns about recent social-media posts made by MaLeisa.

"It makes us believe the Hugheses may not be taking this plea seriously," Chung said.