PETITION CLOSED
PETITION TARGET: Wayne County Prosecutor Kym L. Worthy
UPDATE (1/30/2023): Ali Chehade pleaded ‘Nolo contendere’ — a legal term meaning he would accept a conviction and its consequences but did not admit guilt — to abandoning/cruelty to animals and as part of a plea reduction had the count of killing/torturing dismissed. He was sentenced to 200 hours of community service, two years probation starting 12/9/2021, and court costs. Thank you to everyone who signed our petition; we will keep doing all we can for animals. — Lady Freethinker Staff
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Horrifying surveillance footage from a pet store in Dearborn, Mich., shows an enraged man slamming a helpless parakeet on the ground and stomping him to death after getting refused a refund for his injured bird, according to the Latin Times.
The man carried the parakeet into the store in a cardboard box and tried to return the bird — who had a bloody, injured wing — for a refund.
When the store’s owners offered to save the injured animal’s life but would not issue a $30 refund, he slammed his fist through the box, threw the parakeet to the floor, repeatedly stomped on the bird, and then fled the scene.
Police charged Ali Chehade, 22, with one count of third-degree animal killing. If convicted, he faces up to four years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000. He is currently being held on a $50,000 bond, with a judge also ordering no further contact with animals allowed as the case works its way through the court system.
Parakeets are highly intelligent birds and should not be kept in cages as pets, especially not by someone capable of stomping them into a bloody mess. The person responsible for needlessly killing this defenseless parakeet must answer for his crime.
Sign this petition urging Wayne County Prosecutor Kym L. Worthy to prosecute the suspect to the fullest extent of the law, including a lifelong ban on having any animals in his “care.”
