The Antelope Valley Times

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Lancaster man convicted in dog owner’s murder

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[L to R] Demonte Thomas and victim Michael Davis.
LANCASTER – A 29-year-old Lancaster resident was convicted of first degree murder for running over a poodle and then gunning down the dog’s owner after being asked to cover the animal’s medical costs.

Demonte Antone Thomas was convicted in a Lancaster courtroom Thursday, and his sentencing was scheduled for Aug. 14. He is facing 50 years to life in prison.

According to prosecutors and sheriff’s officials, Thomas ran over a poodle in a parking lot in the 600 block of East Avenue H-14 on June 26, 2015.

The dog’s owner, Michael Davis, 22, chased down Thomas and demanded that he help pay for the dog’s veterinary expenses, but Thomas drove away, authorities said.

Later that night, Thomas went to Davis’ home with five to seven other men, and fatally shot the dog owner, who had a son and a pregnant girlfriend, officials said.

The dog died from its injuries.

Previous related stories:

Lancaster man to stand trial for dog owner’s murder

Suspect ID’d in Lancaster shooting death, public’s help sought

Community leaders condemn senseless violence

Man shot to death in Lancaster

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Filed Under: Crime/ Safety, Lancaster

28 comments for "Lancaster man convicted in dog owner’s murder"

  1. My thoughts and prayers are with you always. The journey ahead will be long and hard, but stay strong in your endeavor to continue on. May the Almighty God impart comfort to Michael Davis family. (2 Co. 1:3,4)

  2. Hang this piece of [removed] low life idiot. His mother must be very proud of him for killing a man. Let the inmates rape the crap out of is fat @ss.

  3. What is even more sad, that I’m defending my country and have to hear that my cousin loss his life to a F N lunatic who cannot man up and take responsibility for his actions!

    Simply disgusting of a human being to put any family thru such misarey! For what, your pride?! Your right to claim respect?! Simply pathetic!! The sad part is I could not be there to watch him suffer when the judge brought him in and sentence him.

    No respect for human dignity! No respect for hisself! I will never talk down about his family, but he has let his family down as a man and he has let his community and country down as a person! Disgusting! Not his family but him as a person!

    It is sad that I will never see my cousin again, but I am still defending his right to be in jail! Pathetic! I wish I could tell him that to his face! That he is pathetic human being! There are terroist who have way more respect then his disgusting self! Pathetic!

  4. So correct me if I am wrong…
    A man was shot because another man decided to not take responsibility and pay for the vet bill that HE was responsible for, and instead shot the owner ? Why would that make the bill go away? So a vet bill was worth a life sentence for yourself? Wow, really shows how educated people are these days…not knowing the consequences of murder, yet somehow it was worth ending someone’s life over something so little, way to go mankind!!!!! For all those people out there who are inconsiderate, selfish, uneducated, lack of common sense, irresponsible, etc, this story hopefully will make people realize to use your brain!!!!!!!!!!! Stop wasting your time living the low life useless meaningless thug life !!!!!!!!!Please!!!!!

    • As a dog owner, and a driver, I have to wonder how you can assign this responsibility for the vet bill with such certainty. If my dog darts out in front of your car I would be hard pressed to hold you responsible for it.

      This crime isn’t a result of dogs and vet bills, it is a result of us as a nation of people having failed to pass on instruction in how to resolve differences without resorting to “agree with me or I’ll shoot you.” Now we are stuck with cops, dog owners, drivers, and pretty much anyone passing on the street thinking that it is okay to shoot you over whatever “disrespect” their narcissistic little minds think they are suffering under.

      • Well, if everyone would listen to your “instructions”, things would get a lot worse.

  5. So now that tax payers get to foot the bill for this scum to be in prison? Eye for an eye has always made more sense to me.

    • In Lancaster, we taxpayers get to foot the bill for all sorts of crazy things like the Eye in the Sky ($10 million), Traction Seal (millions for black road paint), Ecolution (failed garbage recycling scam), lawsuits emanating from the big fat mouth of our illustrious mayor (like when he declared war on Section 8 and got us sued by the feds), an a whole lot more.

        • Nope. Just pointing out that there is hardly anyone who can say that there isn’t someone, somewhere, that has a well deserved grudge against them. “An eye for an eye” never really works, because even the biggest supporters of it never want to give up an eye when they hurt someone. They are what we call “one way streets.”

  6. All because he didn’t want to help pay for vet bills now he will be in jail 50 years and someone without a brother,son,uncle,dad what a shame .

  7. The story is shocking and tragic enough. Quite sad that about every poster here sees the need to name call previous poster. My AV of 40 years ago wasn’t like this. This is what is wrong in the AV. Respect lost

  10. What about the 7 other accomplices? Wtf is wrong with this town get the shooter let the accomplices go free to do it again?

    • What accomplices??? There’s one shooter and one in custody? What did the other 7 do???

      Retard.

      • Um is called being an accomplice to a crime! And you have the nerve to call him/her a retarded. Jeez
        Dumbass

  11. I see it time & time again.. senseless killings..& when the cops show up no help untill someone’s dead..and even then hope for them to do there jobs..instead of threatening saying they’ll be back..

    • do you expect the cops to be sitting there already waiting when the man got shot. Idiot

  12. Yeah that 50 years is worth not wanting to pay for a dogs injuries…..people use your common sense !

  13. Premeditated murder he went back to the crime scene with accomplices. Should of gotten the death penalty!!