Aspen Easterling, the 19-year-old rapper known professionally as Aspen Kartier, pleaded guilty on Oct. 21 to one misdemeanor count of cruelty to animals in DeKalb County Superior Court and was sentenced the same day to 10 days in jail.
Judge Alvin Wong ordered Easterling to serve the jail time immediately, with credit for two days already served, followed by one year of probation. She must complete 24 anger management classes, 100 hours of community service, and an animal cruelty education and prevention program. The judge also barred her from owning, possessing, or being in the presence of any dog during probation and ordered her to pay $3,348 to LifeLine Animal Project for the puppy’s care and veterinary bills.
Prosecutors dropped a second animal cruelty charge as part of the plea. The judge rejected a request for first-offender treatment, so the conviction remains on her record. Officers took Easterling into custody directly from the courtroom, according to the DeKalb County Solicitor-General’s Office.
The case stemmed from a Twitch livestream on Jan. 29 from Easterling’s apartment in the 1000 block of Town Boulevard in Brookhaven. Video played in court showed her repeatedly striking a three-month-old Maltipoo puppy named Louie after the dog urinated on the floor off-camera. She then lifted the puppy by the skin on its back. The dog is heard whimpering and yelping as Easterling yelled about its behavior.
“Frankly, I believe the video truly speaks for itself,” prosecutor Samantha Wicker told the court. “I mean, she admits to hitting the dog. She says that the dog acts like it can’t breathe when she does hit it.”
Viewers reported the stream. PETA’s emergency response team identified Easterling and her address within hours and shared the information with Brookhaven police. Officers obtained search and arrest warrants and took Easterling into custody around 9:35 p.m. on Jan. 30. The puppy, which appeared to be in good health, was turned over to DeKalb County Animal Control. Easterling was booked into DeKalb County Jail and released on bond the next day.
Brookhaven police later received PETA’s Compassionate Police Department Award for the rescue. “If someone is willing to repeatedly hit a crying puppy on the global stage of a livestream, there’s no telling what might happen when the cameras are off,” PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk said in a statement at the time.
Easterling’s boyfriend, Cristian Denis, also known as Lil Crix, owned Louie and was present during the livestream. Both Easterling and Denis relinquished custody of the dog to LifeLine Animal Project.
Defense attorney Pat Dixon told the court that Easterling grew up in difficult conditions in Chicago and began rapping as a way out. A manager later helped her relocate to Brookhaven. In 2025 she signed with Signal Records. After the incident the label shelved her projects, sponsorships ended, and shows were canceled. Dixon said she has faced online harassment.
“These 10 minutes don’t define who she is,” Dixon said.
Judge Wong told Easterling the sentence was meant to convey the impact of her actions. “People do stupid things without thinking about what they’re doing. You wouldn’t want to be treated like that and you wouldn’t want to be punished like that, physically, by anybody,” he said. He added that he had considered 30 days but settled on 10 as a symbolic punishment that “won’t kill you, but it’s not pleasant.”
Easterling told the court she hopes to continue her music career and remains signed to Signal Records. Advocates for DeKalb Animals said the puppy now has a path to a safe home and called for further review of Denis’s role as the listed owner.
Twitch temporarily suspended Easterling’s account after the video circulated. Under Georgia law the conviction also carries an automatic five-year ban on owning pets.
