‘You’re Next!’: Indiana Man Accused of Smashing in Head of Girlfriend’s Rabbit Before Directing His Anger at Her

A student at Ball State University has been arrested after he allegedly killed his girlfriend’s rabbit and then threatened to harm her next, according to authorities.

Around 12:45 a.m. on Nov. 11, officers were sent to an apartment in Muncie. Once at the residence, a woman told officers that 20-year-old Johnathan Michael Quatroche, who she said was her boyfriend, had told her he killed her rabbit, The Star Press reported.

According to police, the woman told police that the rabbit and its cage “were no longer in the apartment.”

She said Quatroche first told her the rabbit died as the result of an accident, but then he later admitted that he had intentionally killed the rabbit, police said.

She told officers that Quatroche told her the rabbit “had to go, and you’re next!” The Star Press reported.

Quatroche then left the apartment and the woman said she contacted her family, who called the police, according to the outlet.

Authorities said an officer found the rabbit’s remains in a trash container outside the apartment and reported its “head had been smashed.”

The woman told police they have had “domestic issues” and he allegedly hit her in the past, officials said.

Police later located Quatroche in a dorm room on the BSU campus. He told officers he was “pleading the fifth” and was arrested, according to authorities.

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Quatroche was booked into the Delaware County Jail and faces charges of animal cruelty, and intimidation, officials said.

He was later released after posting a $10,000 bond.