PETITION TARGET: Monmouth County Prosecutors
UPDATE (6/20/2023): A judge has ordered the defendant to undergo a psych evaluation to see if he is competent to stand trial. The only plea deal on the table currently carries a 5-year prison sentence, according to news reports. A grand jury indicted the defendant on two counts of third-degree crimes: tormenting/torturing/or unnecessarily/cruelly abusing a living animal, and using an animal in a sexual manner. The next hearing is July 18. We’ll keep watching this case. — Lady Freethinker Staff
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A cat named Ellie reportedly was strangled, sexually abused, and killed by an 18-year-old in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
The teen also reportedly handcuffed the cat, cut off her tongue, and dissected her while she was still alive over several months before the cruelty ultimately killed her, according to news reports. Evidence of the abuse includes photographs and videos — including footage in which the teen can be seen smirking as he tortures vulnerable Ellie, according to news reports.
Officers have identified Bani J. Mezquititla as Ellie’s owner and charged him with animal cruelty.
It’s crucial that this horrifying case be treated with the severity it deserves. The link between intentional acts of fatal violence against animals and human abuse is well documented.
No other animals should suffer and die tragically as Ellie did.
Sign our petition to urging prosecutors to hold fully accountable the person(s) responsible for this fatal cruelty — including requirements for intensive psychological intervention and a maximum ban on owning or being around any animal.
Anyone with information about this matter is urged to contact Asbury Park Police at 732-502-4582, SPCA Chief of Humane Law Enforcement at 732-542-0040, or the SPCA at 732-440-4538.
