| An 8 year old boy |
Killed a cat |
Pompano Beach, FL |
Feb. 4 2001 |
An 8-year-old boy with a criminal history of arson and burglary took Mildred Mills' deceased daughters 2-year-old Persian cat, named Smokey and threw the cat into a pen with three dogs in the 1900 block of Northwest 15th St.. The dogs, a Chow, Rottweiler and a Collie mix, each weighing between 50-70 pounds mauled the cat to death. The boy watched the cat die and then left. Mills learned about her cat's death when the boy's older brother heard her calling Smokey's name while searching the neighborhood and told her that his brother had killed the cat.
The boy when questioned by authorities admitted killing the cat because he wanted to get even with Mrs. Mills because she was always chasing him out of her yard. Sheriff’s spokesman Kirk Englehardt stated the boy threw the cat into the yard knowing full well that the cat would not get out. The boy watched the dogs chase down and tear the cat apart. He watched the cat die and then ran away. The dog’s owner found the cat and buried it.
The boy had remained in the Broward Juvenile Detention Center on a 3rd degree felony charge since his arrest until February 15th. Normally the boy would have a detention hearing and remain under some type of supervision for 21 days while the court decides what course of action should be taken. On February 15th the boy was allowed to return home but wearing an electronic monitoring device.
Judge Dorian Damoorgian allowed the boy to return home but under strict conditions. He is not allowed to go anywhere but to school.
The boy has been charged with arson after setting a fire to a trailer near his Pompano Beach home in December. A hearing on the arson charge has been set for February 28, 2001. If convicted, the boy could be sentenced to a high-risk facility.
Dr. Sheila Rapa, a psychiatrist with the Chrysalis Center in Sunrise stated that this type of behavior is very serious. "If he is already at 8-years old showing he has no sign of attachment, no remorse, then we're seeing a pattern - and it is a dangerous situation. He needs treatment" stated Rapa.
Mildred Mills, the cat's owner agrees, she does not want to see the boy go to jail but to get the help he needs.
Tami Gayikian is the boy's lawyer and stated that the boy changed after his father's death about 2 years ago. That death was followed by the death of his grandmother shortly after his father's death. The boy became more introverted and less communicative when these events happened to him.
Reference:
The Miami Herald
The Sun Sentinel