November 3, 2009 2:01 PM

Police Accuse N.Y. Man of Torturing Kitten

(AP)  Police are accusing a 22-year-old upstate New York man of hanging his girlfriend's four-month-old kitten with a belt and making a video of the animal struggling.

Joanne Cichy told Syracuse police she couldn't find her kitten when she returned home Halloween night after going trick-or-treating with her children. The next day she found a video on her digital camera showing the kitten hanging from the apartment door with a belt around its neck.

Police said the video showed the kitten struggling before going motionless and Cichy's live-in boyfriend, Rascell Williams, stepping in and out of the video.

The injured kitten was later found alive under the porch.

Williams was charged with unjustifiable animal cruelty. Police did not know if he has an attorney.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Add a Comment See all 12 Comments
by armyoftwelve November 3, 2009 10:09 PM EST
There's no excuse for this knd of animal abuse. People who do stuff like this to animals would probably dothe same to human beings
(think Jeffrey Dahmer).
Reply to this comment
by jls3769 November 3, 2009 8:34 PM EST
I like to tell him in his face that you are evil.
And give him a knuckle print.
Reply to this comment
by linfinster November 3, 2009 6:12 PM EST
Be interesting to know if she "forgives" him and goes back to the sicko. Perhaps he'll say he is "sorry!" Too bad the article didn't mention if he has a criminal history.
Reply to this comment
by erb0087 November 3, 2009 2:36 PM EST
Notorious killers like Brian Dugan of Chicago (who murdered Jeanine Nicarico) and Richard Allen Davis of California (murderer of Polly Klaas) started out as animal abusers. So did Jeffrey Dahmer.

This is a red flag for future psychopathic behavior against human victims.
Reply to this comment
by lmartink November 3, 2009 2:50 PM EST
It's time to call Rescue Ink, and let those guys have a long, private discussion with this animal terrorist.
by SeektheTruth November 3, 2009 2:22 PM EST
Wonder how he'd like to hang from a belt around his neck until he goes motionless?....what a worthless scumbag
Reply to this comment
by canislupus16 November 3, 2009 2:07 PM EST
The guy's sick, but he knew what he was doing. This was out and out torture. Time and again, it comes out that animal torturers/abusers go on to become human torturers/abusers/killers. For me, the fact that he tortured an animal is enough - hope this guy spends many years in prison for this. Unfortunately, animal abuse laws and punishment/sentences for conviction are too lenient. They need to be strengthened across the board.
Reply to this comment
by confused2byu November 3, 2009 1:03 PM EST
um mother goes trick or treating with children while live in boyfiends tortures her kitten. Wonder what kind of fun he has with the children when left in his care.
Reply to this comment
by DaVicar8 November 3, 2009 1:01 PM EST
Don't the NYPD have worse criminals to persue?
Reply to this comment
by endurorob_5 November 3, 2009 1:20 PM EST
Your'e right. they should just let him be until he progresses to torturing human children.
by blindersoff November 3, 2009 12:44 PM EST
Animal cruelty is the first sign of a serial killer or someone who will be a danger to humans in the future. I hope she moved out.
Reply to this comment
by th9876 November 3, 2009 12:19 PM EST
Some people are just absolutely worthless monsters and this man sounds like one of them. I hope the kitten survives.
Reply to this comment
See all 12 Comments
.
Scroll Left
Scroll Right More »
CBS News on Facebook