Home intruder stabs homeowner's dog to death, goes to sleep in his bed — and then things get weird

Chicago homeowner Joseph Sneed was surprised to find his dog stabbed to death after returning home earlier this week. The only thing that might have surprised him more is how the suspect reportedly made himself so at home at Sneed's residence.

What happened?

Sneed, a private detective, said that he returned to his home on Wednesday night, where, instead of being greeted by his 12-year-old red nose pit bull, Carmela, he discovered a piece of his own luggage jammed up against the door to his residence.

"I opened the door and a piece of my luggage was at the door, behind the door, blocking the door," Sneed said, according to WBBM-TV.

"I knew that was completely abnormal," he added. "Normally, my dog meets me at the door. So when a piece of luggage was there, I knew something was wrong."

When Sneed moved the luggage away from the door, he saw Carmela — who he raised from a puppy — lying on the ground in a pool of her own blood.

What did he do then?

Sneed, after seeing his dog's dead body, backed out of his residence and phoned police, as he suspected the person who reportedly killed his dog might still be inside the home.

Sneed said that in addition to seeing his slain pet, he observed that the doors were still locked, and there was no apparent sign that anything had been taken from the home.

"That’s why I felt that somebody was still here," Sneed explained. "I have a security company. I’m a private detective. I carry a weapon. I do all of that. I teach concealed carry. I teach people who come to me not to go into these situations; even though it’s your own home and even though your emotions would possibly overwhelm you to go. So I do what I actually teach. I don’t just teach it and then do opposite. It made no sense for me to go in that house, even though I had a gun on me."

When law enforcement arrived on the scene, they searched the home. And while it wasn't terribly surprising that the intruder was still there, what was surprising was that the intruder was reportedly discovered in Sneed's bed wearing penny loafers and shorts, asleep.

The intruder — a 31-year-old man, who Sneed described as "a big guy" at 6 feet tall and at least 250 pounds — reportedly gained entry to Sneed's home by breaking in through a second-floor window, according to police.

Police said that when the suspect came across the dog, he stabbed the animal multiple times.

Is there anything else?

Sneed said that when police escorted the man out, he asked the suspect why he had to kill the dog.

"He just gives me this look, and just keeps walking, no expression," Sneed said of the suspect's response to his question.

After the suspect was taken from the home, Sneed said he went into his home and discovered more odd things.

WBBM reported that Sneed discovered some of his clothing packed in the suitcase that was blocking the door to the home, and soda cans were strewn about the home as well as clothes and plastic bags that reportedly did not belong to the homeowner.

"He drank pop," Sneed said. "He has pop cans all over the room. None of them, maybe one, was empty."

According to WBBM, police said charges are pending against the suspect as of Thursday.