GONZALES - A Louisiana judge has sentenced a man to five years in prison for beating his dog to death with a baseball bat.

District Judge Jason Verdigets sentenced Jamari Jackson of Prairieville on Monday. Jackson had faced up to 10 years in prison.

Prosecutors say Ascension Parish sheriff's deputies found the dying dog whimpering and struggling to breathe June 2014 at Jackson's home after a witness had reported seeing Jackson beating the dog with a bat. A bat matching the witness's description was found in Jackson's house.

Jackson's defense attorney had asked Verdigets for a hearing before sentencing to present mitigating testimony, but Verdigets would not allow it, saying in this instance Jackson did not have an absolute right to such a hearing.