A plea hearing for a Gilroy man accused of killing his wife’s
6-week-old puppy during a May 12 argument in her home has been
delayed a second time.
A plea hearing for a Gilroy man accused of killing his wife’s 6-week-old puppy during a May 12 argument in her home has been delayed a second time.
Bud W. Ruiz, 53, was scheduled to enter a plea at the South County Courthouse in Morgan Hill Tuesday afternoon, but the hearing was delayed one week, according to public defender Irma Gallardo.
Gallardo is representing Ruiz, who is accused of killing the puppy – a Chihuahua named Teddy* – after his wife called police to report he had assaulted her at her home on the 8800 block of Morey Way, according to the Gilroy Police Department.
Ruiz’s initial plea hearing on May 24 was also delayed. His new plea hearing is set for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 14 in Dept. 109 of the South County Courthouse, Gallardo said.
Ruiz could spend the rest of his life in prison because of California’s Three Strikes Law, as he has four prior felony convictions for assault with a deadly weapon in Santa Clara and Fresno counties dating back to 1978, according to Amy Cornell, spokeswoman for the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.
He is also a registered sex offender, according to the Megan’s Law online database.
His wife, Marcella Ruiz, has said her husband did not assault her and the dog’s death was accidental.
