Crime & Police

Arvada Man Accused of Killing, Abusing Puppies and Kittens

Police are also investigating Tyler Willbanks for his involvement in a fatal hit-and-run.
mugshot of prisoner in orange uniform
Tyler Jay Willbanks, 29 of Arvada.

Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office

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An Arvada man has been arrested for allegedly brutalizing several puppies and kittens over the last six years, resulting in the deaths of at least three animals.

Tyler Willbanks, 29, faces two counts of felony aggravated animal cruelty and one count of misdemeanor animal cruelty, according to the Arvada Police Department. He was booked into the Jefferson County Jail on Thursday, October 9, and remains in custody with a $10,000 cash-only bond.

Police say they received a tip about Willbanks in August, alleging that he repeatedly buys puppies that later die or suffer severe injuries. Their investigation uncovered records of Willbanks bringing seven pets to ten different veterinary hospitals on over two dozen occasions. During most of the vet visits, Willbanks claimed that the injured animal had accidentally fallen down stairs, off a balcony or off furniture.

The animals’ injuries included broken legs, head trauma, burns and broken ribs. Three of the pets died: a nine-week-old puppy, a three-month-old puppy and a one-month-old kitten.

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The first documented incident occurred in September 2019, in which Willbanks claimed his kitten burnt its ear on the stove. He declined recommended treatment but returned the kitten to the vet twice, showing signs of infection, according to police. The kitten was ultimately euthanized due to its deteriorating condition.

In 2021, Willbanks reportedly brought a new kitten to the vet on two separate occasions due to “falls” from a refrigerator and a cat tower. It suffered head trauma, bleeding from the genitals and a fractured femur. In 2023, he said a different cat had fallen off of a balcony. Its leg was amputated due to a broken femur, and it had air between its ribs and lungs, according to police.

Four animals were seized from Tyler Willbanks’s home.

Arvada Police Department

Between November 2024 and January 2025, his puppy suffered four broken bones from four different incidents, requiring three surgeries. Vets discovered multiple broken legs and evidence of older bone breaks in the puppy’s ribs and forearm. Earlier that year, a different puppy previously belonging to Willbanks was found to be dehydrated, underfed and suffering a ruptured eye blood vessel.

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Two puppies have died under Willbanks’s care this year, according to police. In May, a three-month-old puppy was euthanized after suffering a fractured rib, air between its ribs and lungs, and fluid in its lungs from allegedly falling down the stairs. In July, a nine-week-old puppy died from head trauma on the way to the pet hospital after it reportedly fell off a futon.

Three cats and a two-month-old puppy were seized from Willbanks’s residence during his arrest. The cats were taken to an animal shelter and the puppy was taken to a pet hospital for observation. All four animals appear healthy, police say.

Fatal Hit-and-Run

The tipster who reported Willbanks to police also claimed that he openly talks about getting away with killing a man during a hit-and-run, according to police.

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Willbanks struck 67-year-old David Brlej with his vehicle on September 6, 2024, at an Arvada car wash after the two got into a road rage altercation on their way to work, according to police reports from the time. He fled the scene and Brlej died of his injuries at the hospital.

Willbanks later turned himself in for the hit-and-run, but the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office was “unable to file charges at that time due to insufficient evidence,” according to the Arvada Police Department.

Police say the investigation into the fatal hit-and-run is ongoing, and they have obtained new evidence while investigating the animal cruelty case.

Willbanks is a travel agent who attended Pueblo West High School, based on his social media accounts.

He was previously arrested three times between 2019 and 2025 for assault, property damage, vehicle theft and driving under the influence. However, all of the charges except for vehicle theft were ultimately dismissed, according to records from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

Willbanks is scheduled to appear in Jefferson County Court for a preliminary hearing on November 5.

Anyone with further information about either case involving Willbanks is asked to contact the Arvada Police Department at 720-898-7171.

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