Killing of woman's puppy is cautionary tale for Good Samaritans

Maybe the signs were there: Any time you find a wandering person named Cain, there's a chance they might be a murderer.

Sandra Cain, 39, choked a puppy and then bashed its head with a rock, Herrin Police said. Cain was repaying the kindness of the puppy's owner, who took her in.

The owner, Jessica Messina, saw Cain and her husband living in a tent on public land. Messina offered them space in her backyard and allowed Cain in her house to use the bathroom and take a shower.

Messina caught Cain going through her roommate's pockets and kicked her out. That's when Messina's New Testament good deed met Cain's Old Testament rath.

Cain grabbed Messina's puppy, Rascal. She choked Rascal. Then she bashed Rascal's skull with a rock.

Cain faces felony animal cruelty charges.

"There's no explanation," Messina said.

Well, actually there is.

Acts of charity are essential to our humanity. They require a certain amount of faith that we will not be taken advantage of.

Caution is just as essential, because it may be hard to tell whether you are dealing with someone suffering from mental illness, from drug addiction, or someone with evil in her heart.

This story was originally published June 15, 2018 at 12:09 PM with the headline "Killing of woman's puppy is cautionary tale for Good Samaritans."