NORTHAMPTON — A Northampton woman was ordered held in jail without bail on Wednesday after allegedly killing her dog in what a judge described as a “savage beating” and the city’s animal control officer called “the worst case I’ve seen.”

Elizabeth Staszko, 29, was arrested last week after police had been called to her residence in Meadowbrook Apartments in Florence on March 12. Police were called after neighbors heard sounds of a dog yelping and crying from within her apartment. Northampton police Officer Simonne Sandoval testified in Northampton District Court on Wednesday that she arrived at Staszko’s apartment, where loud music was playing, and knocked on the door, after which the music stopped and the lights were turned off.

As there were no sounds coming from the apartment, Sandoval left the scene, only to be called back to the building 2½ hours later by Staszko herself. Upon arriving, Sandoval saw Staszko outside on the phone and noticed a small white-tan-colored dog, described by prosecutor Matthew Thomas as a “chihuahua-terrier” mix, laid out on the  pathway to the building on top of a purple towel. Sandoval checked for a pulse, but the dog, a male, was dead.

Staszko told police that the dog, which she had acquired four days earlier, had bitten her when she tried to put a collar on to take it outside, and that she had responded by scruffing the dog at the back of its neck, holding it down and stomping on it, according to Sandoval’s testimony. Sandoval noted that Saszko had an injury on her thumb at the time.

A subsequent analysis of the dog’s body by Northampton Animal Control Officer Dawn Ubelaker revealed the extent of the dog’s injuries were more extensive than what Staszko had described.

“I noticed there were a lot of red discolorations that are consistent with bruising,” Ubelaker told the court. “There were wounds inside the dog’s mouth, those can be indicative of physical trauma to the dog.”

Ubelaker subsequently took the dog’s body to a veterinary pathologist in Boston for a more in-depth necropsy. The necropsy revealed damage around the dog’s neck, head and chest, along with blackened muscular tissue indicating internal damage. The necropsy determined the cause of the dog’s death as a brain bleed resulting from blunt force trauma, rather than a neck injury as Staszko described.

Wednesday’s dangerousness hearing was held to determine whether or not Staszko should be able to be released from jail before trial or be held due to being a danger to the public. Thomas argued before Judge Mary Beth Ogulewicz that Staszko should be held, noting that she had a history with Northampton police and was known to them as someone with a short temper and a history of criminal charges.

“Dogs are legendary for their ability to love, their ability to trust and their fidelity,” Thomas said. “This dog was being mistreated by Ms. Staszko. The dog nipped at her, growled at her, maybe even bit her. But she felt like she was disrespected by the dog, and the dog paid for it with his life. The dog died alone.”

Staszko’s attorney, Lawrence Allen, argued that despite a previous legal history, Staszko had only ever received one conviction, a misdemeanor for shoplifting, with all other charges resulting in a nolle process, continuation without finding or dismissal. He also said she had complied with officers and made no attempt to flee the scene. He argued that Staszko instead be released on condition of not being allowed near animals, and that she receive mental health counseling and have GPS monitoring.

“She indicated that she had acted impulsively at the time, in defense of the bite. This would suggest a lack of deliberation, rather than intentional harm or cruelty,” Allen said. “According to [Sandoval’s] testimony, residents believed that a dog was being abused, that they heard what they said sounded like a dog yelling — there’s no actual confirmation that any of this was actually occurring.”

Ogulewicz ultimately took the side of the prosecution, agreeing Staszko posed a danger to others and ordered her committed without bail, based upon her alleged role in the dog’s death and Staszko’s behavior as being consistent with “an extreme lack of self-control,” with a history of failing to appear before the court.

“The fact that it was a dog and not a person, frankly this court makes no distinction,” Ogulewicz said. “It is a savage beating of an animal. I count over 17 bruises on the dog’s chest, most of his neck, from his jaw line to his chest bone.”

Staszko will remain confined at the Western Mass. Regional Women’s Correctional Center in Chicopee, and will be held there before her next scheduled appearance in court for a pretrial hearing on April 9.

Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.