Rally held for Ruby, French bulldog shot and killed by sitter
Supporters want justice for Ruby, a French bulldog shot and killed while being watched by a relative.
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A rally was held outside the Ocean County Courthouse for a dog named Ruby, who was shot and killed by her owner's stepfather.
The shooting happened in October at a home within the Holiday City neighborhood in Berkeley Township.
The “Justice for Ruby Rally” was held to keep pressure on the case involving the accused shooter, Jeffrey Lentz, who is charged with animal cruelty.
Ruby's owner, Nicole Ingraffia, says she dropped off the dog at her mother's and stepfather's house while she attended a wedding.
However, while at the wedding, Ingraffia got a phone call and was told Ruby had died after an animal attack or after hit by a car.
With no clear-cut answer about her cause of death from her mother and stepfather, Ingraffia took the dog's remains to a veterinarian.
RELATED: Pet sitter from Berkeley accused of fatally shooting French bulldog
“We were going to get her cremated. We canceled the appointment, and for peace of mind, said, 'Let's go check.' The vet said there probably won’t be anything in there, but we’ll run an X-ray. The look on his face when he came out, I knew that my baby had a bullet in her jaw,” said Ingraffia.
But Nicole and husband Nick Guarino have never been told what really happened in that house.
Guarino says they feel betrayed and left with questions they hope to have answered in court.
“We just generally want to make sure that this could never happen again to anyone else with a fur baby at home. It’s heartbreaking,” said Guarino.
Jeffrey Lentz will be back in court for another hearing on the charges in January.
News 12 New Jersey has reached out to his attorney for comment.
