NoHo Man Accused Of Killing, Eating Girlfriend's Pet Rabbit Pleads Not Guilty
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A North Hollywood man accused of killing, skinning, cooking and eating his former girlfriend's pet rabbit pleaded not guilty in court Tuesday.
Dimitri Diatchenko, 46, was charged with one felony count each of cruelty to an animal with a use of knife allegation and making a criminal threat by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
The actor, whose credits include roles in "Bones" and "Sons of Anarchy," was remanded into custody following his arraignment, with bail set at $90,000.
Prosecutors say Diatchenko killed the pet rabbit named Ella December 7 after the woman told him "they should no longer be roommates."
"While the victim was out of the house, Diatchenko skinned the pet, cooked it and ate half of it while sending her step-by-step pictures of what he did," a D.A. spokesperson previously stated.
When the woman returned home, Diatchenko allegedly said he would do the same to her.
The couple had been living together for some time after breaking up.
KCAL9's Serene Branson previously spoke with Diatchenko, who said the incident was a hoax.
A woman who says she is Diatchenko's ex-girlfriend also stated at the time the incident was a misunderstanding.
"This is just all ridiculous. Completely untrue. Everybody's fine. The bunny's fine. Nothing happened to her. She's at my house," the unidentified woman said.
She also told Branson she contacted law enforcement initially believing Ella was harmed.
"Just an angry moment. He got a bunny from the store just to mess with me," she said.
The woman said Ella was in the closet the entire time but declined to provide pictures or show the rabbit.
"I've been trying to get this all cleared up and it will be cleared up," she said. "It's all ridiculous."
Diatchenko is due back in court February 4.
He faces a maximum sentence of nearly five years in jail if convicted.
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