What did Michael Konschak do? New York man charged over killing pet dogs in Ridgefield

Michael Konschak, a New York man, faced a Connecticut court on Wednesday, March 1, 2023, after he was charged with the killing of two pet dogs in Ridgefield.

Trigger warning: This contains mentions of animal abuse. Discretion is advised.

According to the New York Post, 61-year-old Michael Konschak is a respiratory therapist and US Air Force veteran with a passion for hunting.

Based in Putnam, New York, he was on a hunting trip in Connecticut last November when he allegedly killed two pet dogs with a crossbow. Following that, he proceeded to skin them to keep their pelts. He would later tell Connecticut authorities that he believed they were coyotes.

Prosecutors claim that Konschak may have mistaken the animals for coyotes initially after their deaths. However, they said that it should have been clear that they were domesticated animals, as one of them had a hysterectomy scar. He has, thus, been accused of attempting to hide his crime by skinning the corpses.

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The timeline of Michael Konschak's alleged crime

As reported by SFGate, on November 18, 2022, Michael Konschak was hunting deer at Topcrest Lane in Ridgefield, Connecticut when the incident took place.

Konschak told the authorities that upon seeing the dogs, he was under the impression that they were coyotes chasing deer. He supposedly shot at the first dog with a crossbow with an attached scope before the second dog appeared aggressive and attempted to attack him. That was when Konschak killed the second dog.

Konschak said that after the killings, he noted the unique color of the dogs' fur, and he transported them to a taxidermist on his sled. He said that after the taxidermist told him that there was no room for the animals, he skinned them himself, before throwing them out because he did not like the pelts.

Officials claim, however, that Konschak most likely threw out the pelts after he discovered the killings of the dogs were under police investigation. He has been charged with forgery, tampering with evidence, interfering with an officer, and violating archery and wild game hunting regulations.

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The pet owners condemn the killings

In an interview with the News-Times, Erin Caviola, the owner of the two dogs, said that at the time they were killed, they were missing. She identified the dogs as a female named Lieben and a male named Cimo. Both were 10 years old when they were killed.

According to Caviola, her family had been searching for the dogs for at least two weeks, even putting up flyers in the area. She later stated that their heads had been removed by Michael Konschak, and that they were never recovered

Caviola told News-Times reporters:

“I just can’t believe anyone would do this. We can’t get those images out of our head, how someone could look into their faces, and shoot and kill them and then take them and skin them and behead them.”

In court, Konschak re-asserted that the killings of the animals had been an accident.

He said that it was never his intention on the day of the incident to harm the two pets.

Michael Konschak is due for another court date on April 12.