Man accused of fatally stabbing dog doesn’t have mental capacity for trial, judge says

By WLOS Staff

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    ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — A man charged in the 2023 fatal stabbing of a dog in an Asheville park will not be tried.

James Henry is accused of killing a woman’s dog named Beignet last June in North Asheville’s Weaver Park and was charged with felony animal cruelty.

On Monday, April 1, a judge ruled Henry does not have the mental capacity to go to trial.

Police said the dog was tethered to a tree as the dog’s owner played pickleball nearby when Henry approached and started slashing the dog.

The district attorney said Henry will be sent to Broughton Hospital, a psychiatric hospital in Morganton, for further evaluation.

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