Peacock Bludgeoned: Hawaii Woman on Trial for Killing Bird, Says Squawking Got to Her

HONOLULU (CBS/KGMB/AP) Hawaiian woman Susan Maloney admits she bludgeoned a peacock to death, but her attorney says she shouldn't be on trial for animal cruelty.

Why not? Because peafowl are pests, and the state doesn't require a permit to kill them.  

(Yes, peafowl - look it up, we did).

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports lawyer Earle Partington told jurors in opening statements Wednesday that the case against his client is "ridiculous."

Maloney has said she killed the bird on May 17, 2009, because she was tired of its constant squawking outside her condominium complex, noise she says left her sleep deprived and depressed.  Jurors were shown the baseball bat that was used in the beating, as well as a photo of the dead peacock, reports CBS affiliate KGMB.

A neighbor said she saw Maloney whacking the bird in the barbeque area of their apartment complex.

"I was surprised, shocked," witness Jane Ebert testified. "I wasn't quite believing what I was seeing."

"Yes, she got frustrated and decided to kill one and cook it for dinner," defense lawyer Partingtona  said. "She spent a lot of time on a farm. She was finally going to get a little bit of vengeance if she could on this peacock. She knows how to prepare them."

Maloney is charged with second-degree cruelty to animals. The crime is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine.