LA man charged with killing ex-lover's pet rabbit
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? A TV and video game actor was charged with killing and cooking his ex-girlfriend's pet rabbit, sending her grisly photos of the procedure and threatening to do the same thing to her, authorities said Wednesday.
Dimitri Diatchenko, 46, of North Hollywood, was charged Tuesday with felony counts of cruelty to an animal with use of a knife and making criminal threats. He faces up to four years and eight months in prison if convicted.
Diatchenko was free on bail. His manager, Barry Bookin, declined comment. According to Los Angeles County prosecutors, Diatchenko had been living with the woman for some time after their romantic relationship had ended.
She told Diatchenko that they should stop being roommates, prosecutors said. On Dec. 7, while she was out of the house, Diatchenko killed the rabbit, authorities said. "Diatchenko skinned the pet, cooked it and ate half of it while sending her step-by-step pictures of what he did" according to a statement from the district attorney's office. "When she returned the defendant allegedly told her he would do the same to her."
Born in San Francisco, Diatchenko is an actor and musician. He mainly has played Russians and Eastern Europeans on television. He also had a small part in the movie "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."
Diatchenko also has had many voice roles in video games, including in several "Call of Duty" titles.
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