4 people convicted for their role in the hanging of a dog in east Indianapolis in 2022

INDIANAPOLIS – Two years after they hanged and stabbed to death a dog named Deron they adopted from an Indianapolis animal shelter, the last of four Indianapolis residents has been convicted.

Clifford Massey was sentenced to two years in prison, one year of which was suspended, on June 20. He was initially charged with the following:

• Torture or mutilation of a vertebrate animal, level 6 felony
• Obstruction of justice

His sentence also included one year of supervised home confinement and one year of probation, which can be lifted if he completes home confinement without violations and passes a psychiatric evaluation. Massey was also ordered to pay $849 in restitution.

Zech Thomsen was sentenced to two and a half years in prison last month on May 31st for the following charges:

• Torture or mutilation of a vertebrate animal, level 6 felony
• Assault on a public safety officer, Level 6 felony
• Obstruction of justice, level 6 felony
• Resisting law enforcement, Class A misdemeanor

Thomsen will serve this additional sentence for his role in Deron’s death after completing his 27-year sentence in the Indiana Department of Corrections for the shooting death of Vincent Clifyton Jr. in 2022.

According to online court records, Thomsen was previously charged with false imprisonment, domestic violence, strangulation and resisting law enforcement in 2021. He served less than a year of probation after pleading guilty to resisting law enforcement and the other charges were dropped.

Sierra Makin was sentenced earlier this year on January 18 to three years in prison, one year in prison and one year in Marion County Community Corrections. Makin was also ordered to attend anger management classes. She was charged with the following:

• Assault on a public safety officer, Level 5 felony
• Obstruction of justice, level 6 felony
• Resisting law enforcement, Class A misdemeanor

On September 7, Denita Hughes was sentenced to 304 days probation and fined $100.

(From left to right: Zech Thomsen, Clifford Massey, Sierra Makin, Denita Hughes)

According to previous reports, the group adopted Deron from Indianapolis Animal Care Services on July 28, 2022. Nine days later, on August 6, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officers were called to the 700 block of Bosart Avenue around 3 p.m. after receiving reports that a dog was dead after being seen hanging from a leash and stabbed multiple times.

Court documents state that Thomsen reportedly hung Deron by a leash on the porch of the residence and stabbed him to death. Witnesses later told investigators that Makin and the others watched as the dog was tortured and killed.

Another witness reportedly told police that he saw Deron being stabbed while hanging on the porch and that a garbage bag was then pulled over his head until he stopped moving.

Footage of a doorbell at the time apparently showed one of the men asking for a knife and then saying he was going to “beat the dog’s brains out.”

The video allegedly shows Massey torturing the dog while someone else can be heard screaming “F*** him!”

About 20 minutes later, Makin was reportedly heard asking, “Why did you do that, we spent so much money on that guy.”

10 minutes later, Massey and Thomsen are seen taking the dog to the trash and bringing it into the house.

Police eventually found Deron’s body in the trash can next to a bloody steak knife.

When officers arrived at the house, Makin reportedly punched one of the officers, causing him to bleed.

At one point during the altercation, Thomsen attempted to prevent officers from handcuffing Makin, court documents state. Makin then allegedly bit one of the officers while Thomsen allegedly punched another officer in the back of the head.

Deron was 2 years old and IACS described him as an “energetic, loving guy.”

The incident led to renewed calls from the public and lawmakers for harsher penalties for animal cruelty. Senator JD Ford pushed for legislation in the form of Senate Bill 41, which would have imposed longer prison sentences on animal abusers accused of animal cruelty.

The bill was ultimately rejected by the Prisons and Criminal Justice Committee in February last year. At the time, the committee argued that the bill, if passed, would have led to a “cascade” of crimes.

According to previous reports, dog rescue organizations do not typically require background checks. However, some volunteer dog rescuers in Indiana called for lawmakers to introduce a law requiring background checks for animal adoption.