WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina | South Carolina man uses chainsaw to kill family pet

South Carolina man uses chainsaw to kill family pet

SHARON, SC (NBC) - It's a horrific crime one that's hard to even hear: a dog killed, its body cut up with a chainsaw.

The little boy from South Carolina who owned him is devastated. His mother says she can't bear to tell him the truth.

The little boy has a backyard full of things that are fun, but one thing is missing: his dog named Buddy.

Jennifer McAlister has a picture frame full of the dogs she's loved, but she loved Buddy the best.

She bought the lab for her son Gage on his birthday.

"We went and Gage picked him out and named him on the way home," said McAlister.

Buddy and Gage became fast friends until Buddy disappeared.

"We were walking and he said 'you know I murdered your sister's dog,'" said McAlister's sister, Brittany.

Brittany McAlister says her cousin admitted he used a chainsaw to torture and kill Buddy.

The family isn't telling Gage what happened, but they are speaking out because they want to keep the dog's memory alive.

"How can you replace a dog like that? Big eyes and a pink nose...you can't find a dog like that," said Jennifer McAlister.

James McAlister, 19, is in jail in York County. He is charged with ill treatment of animals (torture), stealing dogs and petty larceny.

As for Gage, he says he doesn't want another dog.