Farmer accused of killing man who ran over his dog blames an eggplant
An Australian farmer who is accused of killing a man who ran over his dog is blaming an eggplant for the incident, according to reports.
Australian outlet 9News reports that Angelo Russo is accused of fatally shooting David Calandro with a shotgun in 2017 after Calandro allegedly ran over Russo's dog with his car.
On Wednesday, Russo's lawyer, Patrick Tehan, admitted that Russo pointed a shotgun at Calandro, but claims that Russo tripped on an eggplant that was on the ground, causing the weapon fire.
During a police interview, Russo allegedly stated, "There was an eggplant on the ground there and my foot must have rolled on it... It happened in a split second ... it was like I was falling and it went 'bang.'"
Russo claims that Calandro ran over his dog while driving away from Russo's farm after picking up chiles.
Mutual friend Vince Vigliaturo told the court that he and Calandro went to the farm together along with Calandro's two sons. Vigliaturo said that as they were leaving, Calandro accidentally ran over Russo's dog Harry after "swerving towards" the dog in an attempt to "spook" it, according to 9News.
Vigliaturo told the court that after the dog was run over, Calandro simply turned to him and said, "Oops."
The dog was severely injured, leading Russo to call Vigliaturo and demand that Calandro return to the farm. Eventually, Calandro did return to Russo's farm, where he was shot in the head. Both of his sons were in the car when it happened.
Russo has pleaded guilty to manslaughter, and the prosecution has pulled the murder charge after they were unable to prove that Russo intentionally shot Calandro.
"As he approached [Calandro]'s side, he tripped and fell forward," Tehan said. "[The shotgun] then went off without the trigger having been pressed."
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An Australian farmer who is accused of killing a man who ran over his dog is blaming an eggplant for the incident, according to reports.
Australian outlet 9News reports that Angelo Russo is accused of fatally shooting David Calandro with a shotgun in 2017 after Calandro allegedly ran over Russo's dog with his car.
On Wednesday, Russo's lawyer, Patrick Tehan, admitted that Russo pointed a shotgun at Calandro, but claims that Russo tripped on an eggplant that was on the ground, causing the weapon fire.
During a police interview, Russo allegedly stated, "There was an eggplant on the ground there and my foot must have rolled on it... It happened in a split second ... it was like I was falling and it went 'bang.'"
Russo claims that Calandro ran over his dog while driving away from Russo's farm after picking up chiles.
Mutual friend Vince Vigliaturo told the court that he and Calandro went to the farm together along with Calandro's two sons. Vigliaturo said that as they were leaving, Calandro accidentally ran over Russo's dog Harry after "swerving towards" the dog in an attempt to "spook" it, according to 9News.
Vigliaturo told the court that after the dog was run over, Calandro simply turned to him and said, "Oops."
The dog was severely injured, leading Russo to call Vigliaturo and demand that Calandro return to the farm. Eventually, Calandro did return to Russo's farm, where he was shot in the head. Both of his sons were in the car when it happened.
Russo has pleaded guilty to manslaughter, and the prosecution has pulled the murder charge after they were unable to prove that Russo intentionally shot Calandro.
"As he approached [Calandro]'s side, he tripped and fell forward," Tehan said. "[The shotgun] then went off without the trigger having been pressed."
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Man-blames-eggplant-murder-dog-ran-over-12944116.php