MALDEN, MASS. (WHDH) - A Peabody man facing animal abuse charges appeared before a judge Thursday.

Steven Severino, 31, appeared in Malden District Court, where he was accused of beating his girlfriend’s dog to death.

Severino claims he took the dog for a walk and it got off the leash.

He says he found it unconscious at the bottom of a flight of stairs.

But police say kids who live next door heard the abuse and recorded it on a cellphone.

Severino is due back in court in July.

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