Animal lovers still mourn Ollie, demanding justice for the pit bull who died after being stabbed more than 50 times and left for dead inside a suitcase.
Brendan Evans, his accused killer, remains behind bars at the Broward County jail nearly a year after being charged with the Oct. 10 crime.
His trial is expected to get underway some time next year.
A personal trainer who lived near the Hollywood alley where Ollie was found, Evans was charged with 17 counts of aggravated animal cruelty — one for each of 16 deep stab wounds and one for leaving Ollie trapped inside a suitcase with his paw sticking out. Evans, 31, has pleaded not guilty.
It’s been almost a year since the dog’s killing, but Evans’ attorney says she needs more time to ready for trial.
Ollie’s story struck a nerve with people everywhere, sparking outrage and going viral on social media.
“Ollie is a dog whose memory hasn’t faded from any of our hearts,” said Susan Rosemarin, an animal lover from Pompano Beach who keeps a keen eye on the case.
The world fell in love with Ollie and will not forget about him no matter how much time goes by, Rosemarin said.
“Ollie had a profound effect on so many people,” she said. “He was like this magical dog. This dog has touched my heart.”
Letters came in from all over the world last year urging prosecutors to file charges against Evans and seek the maximum penalty, Assistant State Attorney Alex Urruela said.
This animal cruelty case, he said, is one of the most disturbing he’s seen in South Florida.
“The number of wounds inflicted were alarming,” Urruela said. “It’s hard to wrap your mind around a motive for someone stabbing an animal that many times and stuffing it in a suitcase while the animal is still alive.”
The night Ollie was stabbed, a couple heard whimpering coming from a blue suitcase and called 911. Police rushed the dog to a nearby animal hospital. Vets expected him to survive, but Ollie died two days later.
After his rescue, hundreds of people from London to Los Angeles offered to adopt him. And when he died, nearly $60,000 in reward money poured in to help find his killer.
Before Evans’ arrest, detectives searching his Hollywood apartment found mutilated kittens and rats in his freezer, police said.
Captivated by the story, animal activist Mindy Moffatt created a “Justice for Ollie” page on Facebook and continues to post updates.
“He had such a will to live,” said Moffatt, of Pembroke Pines. “He was already tortured to death and still hanging on to life in that suitcase. It just got to my heart, to my soul. There is nothing else I can do but help get his story out and help him find justice.”
Evans, who waived his right to a speedy trial, has not been in court since his arraignment last December.
The latest court hearing, on Sept. 20, was reset to December at the request of his attorney, Sarah Anne Mourer.
Mourer has requested more time to prepare for trial, court records show.
In a motion filed Sept. 13, she cited more than 300 pages of discovery submitted by the prosecution that she has yet to dig into.
“I don’t have any updates,” Mourer told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “We are still investigating.”
Maria Schneider, the prosecutor handling the case, says the defense has been slow to depose witnesses, and is not even halfway through the list.
In her court filing, Mourer mentioned intense media interest in the case along with inflammatory comments on social media.
“Should he have any hope of obtaining a fair and impartial trial, the community and media will need substantial time to calm down or redirect their attention to other matters,” she wrote.
Her client’s case is further complicated by the fact that he was on probation for a 2015 bank robbery outside Tampa when he was arrested on the animal cruelty charges. Because of his arrest last year in the Ollie case, he must now answer to a violation of probation case in Hernando County.
That’s not the only case pending. Last year, Broward prosecutors charged Evans with trespassing after he allegedly broke into someone else’s Hollywood apartment in August 2017 when his key failed to open the door.
If convicted in the Ollie case, Evans could see the penalty on each count doubled from five to 10 years because he can be classified as a habitual violent felony offender, Urruela said.
Evans is set to appear in court on Dec. 6 before Broward Circuit Judge Martin Fein.
Rosemarin plans to be there.
“I think it’s important to make a quiet showing, to be present and let the judge know and let Brendan Evans know that Ollie is also present. And that we intend to see that justice is served.”
Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4554. Find her on Twitter @Susannah_Bryan.