Michael Macartney — known online as “Torture King” — has been sentenced to three years and four months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to create and distribute horrifying monkey crush videos. Macartney, a 51-year-old Virginia man, was a leader in several Telegram groups that used encrypted chats to promote the abuse and killing of infant monkeys for entertainment, according to the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Norfolk investigation. Macartney and his coconspirators discussed ideas to torment macaques, shared videos of the animals being maimed and killed, and raised funds to pay video operators to carry out their ideas.
“Torture King” Macartney had about 500 videos depicting the sadistic abuse of monkeys in his possession, according to the investigation. He also accepted over 300 payments to fund the creation of the vile videos.
Both juvenile and adult monkeys were subjected to agonizing abuse for the videos, including mutilation and sexual abuse. In one disturbing instance, Macartney reportedly raised funds and provided a bonus to a videographer who used a jar of ants to torture a young monkey to death.
Lady Freethinker and Action for Primates have worked tirelessly for years to investigate online monkey torture rings after first exposing the phenomenon in 2021. Macartney is the latest in a string of recent arrests and prosecutions that span the globe, including cases in the US, UK, and Indonesia.
Lady Freethinker applauds authorities for their work in this case and advocates for the strong prosecution of anyone involved in animal torture.
