A 33-year-old West Palm Beach woman is facing a felony charge after her 7-year-old Yorkshire terrier died earlier this month in what investigators say was the result of prolonged neglect. Charlynn Marseille, who lives on North Benoist Farms Road, faces one count of aggravated animal cruelty following the death of her dog, named King.
Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control responded to a specialty animal hospital in Royal Palm Beach on October 2, after King was brought in by unnamed individuals in critical condition, according to investigators cited by WPBF. Veterinary staff found the small dog severely emaciated and heavily infested with fleas, and he was suffering from multiple additional health issues. The people who brought King in declined to provide information to staff, the station reports.
Veterinarian Points to Chronic Neglect
Dr. Gina Zeitlin told investigators that King's condition reflected chronic neglect over an extended period, the station's report states. Marseille reportedly told Zeitlin that she found King limp that morning and that he had seemed normal the previous day. Veterinary personnel attempted emergency lifesaving measures, but they were unsuccessful and King died.
A preliminary necropsy reportedly found no body fat on King's body and signs consistent with prolonged malnourishment. Detectives with the Sheriff's Office Animal Crimes Unit concluded that Marseille failed to provide King with necessary food and care, resulting in excessive pain and suffering, per the same account. A complaint in the case said King had been left alone for days, potentially without food, and was crying.
Florida's Felony Animal Cruelty Law
Under Florida Statute Section 828.12(2), aggravated animal cruelty is a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine when an owner or custodian intentionally causes an animal's cruel death or fails to act, resulting in excessive pain and suffering. If a conviction involves knowing and intentional torture or torment, the statute mandates a minimum $2,500 fine along with psychological counseling or anger management treatment, according to Florida law. A second or subsequent conviction carries a mandatory $5,000 fine and a minimum six-month jail term with no eligibility for early release.
The case also falls under Florida's Dexter's Law, enacted in 2025, which applies a 1.25 sentencing multiplier to felony animal cruelty convictions involving companion animals like dogs, raising the statutory sentencing points and the likelihood of mandatory prison time, as Hoodline previously reported. Since January 1, 2026, Florida has also maintained a public, searchable statewide animal abuse database run by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for those convicted of or pleading guilty or no contest to animal cruelty.
Part of a Countywide Enforcement Push
King's death comes amid a wave of severe animal neglect cases moving through Palm Beach County courts. In September, deputies arrested a 34-year-old Lake Worth woman on seven felony counts of aggravated animal cruelty after finding 11 dogs living in cramped, unsanitary cages without food or water, according to CBS12. That same month, Boynton Beach police arrested a 52-year-old man on felony animal cruelty charges after video showed him repeatedly slamming his 50-pound service dog onto the pavement, per WPTV.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office launched a dedicated Animal Crimes Unit in December 2025 specifically to expedite investigations into severe animal cruelty, neglect, and abandonment across the county. Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control's Field Services section covers nearly 2,000 square miles across all 39 municipalities, processing roughly 33,000 requests for service annually and fielding about 10,000 calls a month. Earlier this year, Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League personnel assisted authorities in rescuing 64 dogs from a single West Palm Beach home during a hoarding investigation, underscoring the scale of cases local welfare groups continue to confront.
