JOLIET — A 20-year-old man reportedly killed his boyfriend’s dogs and left them in a suitcase while pretending to help look for them.
According to reports, LeAndrae D. Blackman was living with the owner of “two small dogs” when the animals went missing on March 23.
“For the next week Blackman assisted the owner in putting up fliers and looking for the animals, but arguments continued and involving (Blackman’s) not paying rent and he was kicked out,” Cmdr. Brian Benton said.
On April 1, Blackman allegedly told Montgomery police he was moving his items to an apartment in Aurora when he crashed into two cars at Montgomery Road and Fourth Avenue. Records show the blue 1999 Volvo Blackman was driving had been reported stolen two months earlier in Bolingbrook. He was ticketed for driving without a license, operating an uninsured vehicle and failing to reduce speed to avoid an accident.
A Kane County warrant charging Blackman with possession of a stolen vehicle was issued four days later.
Joliet police believe Blackman left the state and moved to Florida by April 9, when he allegedly sent the victim a text message telling him to “look in a suitcase under the stairs.” The dead dogs were found inside.
Blackman “left several texts and voicemails for the victim taunting him about the incident,” Benton said.
On Thursday, detectives obtained a warrant charging Blackman with two counts of aggravated cruelty to an animal and two counts of cruel treatment of an animal, with a $100,000 bond.
