Were they stiff ?
It is remotely possible they were not dead yet, just very near it. If they had died they would have been stiff.
As for your "friend" I believe I would have re-arranged that man's face for him,
with my fists,
more than once.
Ah, who am I kidding, I would have put that fool in a body bag and not felt the least bit guilty doing it. In fact, I would have taken great pleasure in feeling him under my fists and feet.
I am very sorry you had to go through this. And if it were me, I'd file a complaint with the Humane Society or whoever would listen to me and give a damn.
Gale