Police in North Carolina are investigating the possible suicide death of Marinna Rollins, the U.S. veteran who made headlines late last month after a video of her and her boyfriend, active duty soldier Jarren Heng, shooting and killing her dog circulated around social media.
Both individuals had been charged with animal cruelty after the video surfaced. The video showed graphic images of the pair tying the animal to a tree and shooting it at least five times while laughing. Rollins received an administrative separation from the military in January, while Heng remains on active duty with a unit in the Army’s Special Operations Command (SOC).
It was widely reported by other outlets that the dog in question was a service dog, however, the dog was not issued through the VA or one of the many organizations they partner with but was given a regular animal shelter.
Friends say the dog, nicknamed Cam, was an emotional support dog for Rollins, since she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Rollins and Heng filmed themselves as they tied up a pitbull named Camboui in a wooded area. According to the warrant, the pair took pictures with the dog before tying him to a tree and shooting him five times at close range with a rifle. The video shows Rollins laughing after they shot him.
“Let me hit him once,” Heng can be heard saying in the video. According to the warrant, the dog’s body was dragged around before being placed in a shallow grave.
The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and Cumberland County Animal Control said they found multiple videos of the killing and also text messages discussing the shooting.
A Facebook page has been set up calling for justice for the dog, called “Justice For Cam.”
In April, Rollins began posting on Facebook to try to find Cam a new home because he was too expensive to take care of, a friend of Rollins’ told the Fayetteville Observer.
In a Facebook post, she wrote that she had a good final day with Cam.
“Sad he has to go, but he will be much happier where he is heading off to,” Rollins wrote on Facebook.
“He’s going to have such a great new life,” Heng wrote in response.
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