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NILES — A Niles man who shot and killed a neighbor’s dog was sentenced to jail Monday in Berrien County Trial Court.

William Kevin McAbee, 72, of Niles, pleaded guilty to attempted killing/torturing of animals and was sentenced to 15 days in jail and $258 in fines and costs. Restitution will be determined at a later date. He must forfeit his weapon.

The incident occurred Aug. 16, 2023 in Niles Township.

The owner of the dog killed spoke before the sentencing. She said she could have forgiven McAbee if he had shown remorse.

“But he showed absolutely no remorse,” she said. “It’s not the first animal he’s killed … My dog was my world.”

Defense attorney Carri Briseno said that McAbee has lived in that neighborhood for over 30 years and helps neighbors by keeping the road clear in the winter. She said he is terrified of the dogs running around the area but hasn’t called animal control because he thought others were doing that.

McAbee gave a different account of what happened to the woman’s dog. He said that two dogs were in his front yard that day and he shot toward one of the dogs to scare it away.

“I just want to be left alone, I have no trespassing signs up,” he said. “I never hurt or killed other animals.”

“It boggles my mind that from day one you don’t seem to know how the dog got shot and ended up in your backyard,” said Berrien County Trial Judge Jennifer Smith. “The first problem is that it’s not wise to shoot into your front yard, the bullets could go anywhere … You don’t have the right to kill an animal if they’re not threatening you.”