MIDDLEBURG, Fla. – A Clay County man has been sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated animal cruelty in a case involving the torture and death of his former girlfriend’s dog.
25-year-old Cole Daughtry received the maximum sentence allowed under Florida law after videos discovered on his former girlfriend’s phone revealed repeated acts of abuse against her dog, Nina, according to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation began in August 2026 when Daughtry’s girlfriend at the time was reviewing photos and videos on her phone dating back to February.
While looking through the recordings, she discovered videos showing Daughtry abusing Nina on multiple occasions.
According to investigators, the footage showed the dog’s snout taped shut, her legs bound together with tape and Daughtry strangling the animal.
Nina eventually died.
Before the videos were discovered, Daughtry had told his girlfriend that Nina died of natural causes. He also told her he had buried the dog while she was away from home.
After discovering the recordings, the woman confronted Daughtry about what she had seen and contacted law enforcement.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office investigated the allegations, and Daughtry was charged with one count of aggravated animal cruelty.
Daughtry subsequently pleaded guilty at his first pretrial hearing, accepting the statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison.
“To call this case disturbing is simply an understatement and there’s no excuse for this kind of cruelty,” Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook said.
“I’m grateful to our detectives who worked on this case and our partners at the State Attorney’s Office in holding this defendant accountable.”