Mario Alberto Gasca didn't like it when a group of people in his Brownsville neighborhood accused him of burglarizing a nearby house.

In fact, the very idea he could be accused of something like that made him furious. How could he best show how much he was misunderstood? How could the 18-year-old get back in the good graces of his neighbors?

Apparently, he decided that the best way to accomplish all that would be to horrifically slaughter a puppy dog right in front of several children, because that is exactly what he confessed to doing yesterday.

After entering his guilty plea to one count of cruelty to a non-livestock animal, he was sentenced to 18 months in state jail.

Details of the crime were as horrific as any animal cruelty case we have seen.

Witnesses -- among them a 12-year-old girl -- told police that Gasca flew into a rage because of his neighbors' accusations. Just then a little black puppy walked by, and Gasca was said to have gotten a running start and kicked it with all his might.

The Brownsville Herald picks up the awful tale:

According to police the puppy was kicked so hard it flew about 15 yards and began yelping while it crouched in pain. Seconds later, they say Gasca kicked the dog again.

"Gasca then got a pair of garden shears and stabbed the puppy in the midsection and then began stabbing the puppy's mouth," [Brownsville police spokesman Sgt. Jimmy] Manrrique said."

A 17-year-old friend was said to have laughed and encouraged Gasca to kill the dog. (He awaits his day in court.) Once the animal was out of its misery, Gasca was said to have picked up the carcass and tossed it in a ditch.

Though his sentence seems insufficient, at least Gasca will have to serve every day of his year-and-a-half in state jail.