Man Gets Jail Time for Beating Woman, Stabbing Bird to Death

A Glendale Heights man has been sentenced to 90 days in DuPage County Jail for beating his former roommate and killing her pet cockatiel, according to DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin. 

David Hritz, 40, of 1270 Glen Ellyn Road, was found guilty of two counts of domestic battery and one count of aggravated cruelty to an animal on July 9, following a one-day bench trial in front of DuPage County Judge Robert Kleeman.

On Aug. 25, 2012, at 10:09 p.m., Hritz got into an altercation with his roommate, Nicole Filippis, according to a press release from the State's Attorney's Office. The altercation turned physical and Hritz repeatedly struck Filippis about her head and body with his fists. During the altercation, Hritz also threw her pet cockatiel against a wall, then stabbed it to death with a knife.

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, about 1.3 million women are victims of a physical assault by an intimate partner every year, and one in every four women will experience domestic violence at some point in her lifetime, Berlin said in the release.

Hritz will be required to serve 50 percent of his sentence. He must also serve two years of probation upon his release and submit to counseling as deemed necessary. As an additional condition of Hritz’s sentence, he must not possess or own any animals.