17 Year Old Florida Teen Gets 23 Year Sentence for Shooting Retired Police Dog

Ivins Rosier was found guilty in May of burglary of a dwelling with a firearm and animal cruelty charges with a firearm. Rosier and his 20 year old co defendant Gilson Gilles, age 20, faced a jury trial for breaking into Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Robert Boody’s home on November 18, 2012. During the armed robbery Boody’s dog, a 5 year old retired Police dog named Drake was shot several times defending the home. The dog had to be euthanized 5 days later.

Rosier confessed to breaking into the residence while wearing a GPS bracelet due to a previous burglary arrest. Rosier was told by an officer during his interrogation that killing a police dog faces the same charges as killing a police officer, under Florida law it’s a class 3 felony. The claim prompted Rosier to confess but it wasn’t exactly true; Drake was retired at the time of the shooting.

Rosier’s attorney says he is going to seek a new trial for his client. Rosier was 16 at the time of the armed robbery and his attorney believes he should have been tried as a juvenile. Rosier was charged as an adult. He refused a plea deal which would have gotten him a mandatory 20 year sentence.

Given his age at the time of the crime Judge Robin Rosenberg could have given him the option of a Youthful Offender sentence which would have led to a sentence of 6 or less years. The judge ruled that it wasn’t appropriate in this case given the nature of Rosier’s acts. Prosecutor Judith Arco agreed and called called 6 years wrongfully inadequate. With a youth sentence out the case fell under the state’s 10-20-Life law. His co defendant Gilles is currently awaiting trial on the same charges.

The case is causing some controversy; do you think a 23 year sentence is too severe?