A Bucks County man who made headlines last year after he shot his dog and burned it on his fire pit has been sentenced to state prison.
Nikolay Lukyanchikov, 50, of Northampton Township, was sentenced Wednesday to two to four years in state prison after pleading guilty to aggravated cruelty to animals and receiving stolen property, according to a report by Vinny Vella at the Philadelphia Inquirer. Lukyanchikov said he was “very sorry” for his actions, though Common Pleas Judge Raymond McHugh took time to admonish Lukyanchikov during the hearing, the report states.
Lukyanchikov has remained in custody at the Bucks County Correctional Facility in lieu of 10% of $1 million cash bail.
Northampton Township Police were dispatched to a residence on Holly Knoll Drive at 7:12 a.m. on April 30, 2021, for a report of an open fire in the front yard of the residence. Upon arrival, police made contact with the property owner — identified as Lukyanchikov — who was sitting on a couch near the fire with a handgun lying on the right side of couch, police said.
Police described Lukyanchikov as “incredibly intoxicated” and unable to speak, and added that he was setting $100 bills on fire with lighter fluid in a small metal fire pit in front of him, according to a report from Vinny Vella at the Philadelphia Inquirer. Once the fire was extinguished, police observed the body of a badly burned and charred animal, which was later determined to be Lukyanchikov’s dog, according to investigators.
Inside of the home, police spoke with Lukyanchikov’s roommate, who stated that she had heard gunfire from his room earlier in the day and added that Lukyanchikov admitted to shooting his dog with his handgun and hiding it outside, according to the Inquirer report. Additionally, investigators found bullet holes in one of the home’s bedrooms, as well as “blood and gore” in the hallway of the residence, according to the report.
Lukyanchikov was taken into custody and arraigned later that evening. It was later determined that he had stolen the firearm from the wife of a recently deceased friend, according to Vella’s report.
See also:
Lansdale Man Sentenced to Prison for Bank Robbery, Attempting to Shoot State Trooper
Lansdale Man Pleads Guilty to Child Porn Possession, Criminal Trespassing and Assault
Montco Man Sentenced to Jail, Probation After Pleading Guilty to Child Porn Possession
Woman Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Ex-Boyfriend with Broken Bottle, Gets Probation
