On the evening of August 10th, 2022, Daniel Lamont Gray Jr., a 28 yr. old teacher, residing in Pembroke Pines, Florida, allegedly committed one of the worst acts of violence, against his 8 mo. old dog, Jack. Jack was beaten, slammed to the ground and cried in pain as Gray reportedly screamed 'you see how strong I am" and "this is why I keep you locked up."

Jack was found dead behind a building in the Avant Apt. community several hours later. The post mortem examination revealed several broken ribs, a punctured lung, blunt force trauma to the head, a broken tooth, bruised jaw, scrapes, bleeding from the mouth and nose, and a puncture wound to the top of the skull, officials said. 

A confidential witness told members of the Facebook group, Justice for Jack the baby beaten to death, that the police had been called prior to the killing. We ponder the thought that Jack may have been spared had the signs been properly recognized in advance. 

The witness also claimed that Gray had a total of three (3) dogs and all strangely were named Jack. We question where they are now. Was Gray involved in dog fighting? Was the dog found drowned in the lake another Jack? is Daniel Lamont Gray a serial dog killer?

Reportedly several days before Jack was killed, another dog was found, weighed down with rocks, in the lake adjacent to the pool area, where Gray resides. We have attempted to obtain more information from the authorities but had been repeatedly told this is still an active investigation.

According to the school board, Gray has been removed from the classroom, however he is still earning a paycheck from Broward County. Thus we, the taxpayers, are indirectly paying the salary of a charged, violent killer. While this may be common protocol, alarmingly the message this sends the community, parents especially, is that there is someone capable of such horrific action still being sustained by the community. If it is determined that Daniel Gray is psychotic, having already demonstrated an explosive personality, he is in fact a risk to others; humans and animals alike.

The penalty in the State of Florida under which Gray is currently charged, a Third Degree Felony, carries with it, a maximum of 5 years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.  Two misdemeanor charges have recently been added. We are respectfully asking the Broward County State Attorney's office to charge Gray with the maximum applicable charges and NOT to entertain a plea bargain.

If convicted, we are respectfully asking the assigned Judge, The Honorable Gary Farmer, to impose the maximum sentence allowable by law. If in fact he is charged with the intentional killing of any other dogs, we are asking the judge to sentence him to no less than 5 years and $10,000 per offense to be served consecutively. We are also asking, that Gray be permanently banned from owning animals or having access to them and that he receive probation for as long as is legally permitted.

We are additionally asking the Broward County School Superintendent, Dr. Vickie Cartwright,  to terminate Gray's employment immediately. Several studies (1) have shown a clear link between violence towards animals and violence towards humans. Allowing Gray to remain employed by the community is simply not acceptable as we believe he may be a danger to the public. His position should be offered to someone who exemplifies ethical, moral and compassionate characteristics as a role model to our most impressionable citizens. 

(1) https://aldf.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Animal-Legal-Defense-Fund-Link-Factsheet.pdf

https://www.local10.com/news/local/2022/08/15/broward-teacher-accused-of-animal-cruelty-that-vet-called-the-worst-ive-ever-seen/