Arrests Made in Miami-Area Cat Deaths

[samanthajane13]

MIAMI (June 14) - Officials in a Miami-area village say police have made arrests in a recent string of gruesome cat deaths.

A spokesman for the village of Palmetto Bay said in a news release that the Miami-Dade Police Department began making arrests Saturday night. Village spokesman Bill Kress said police issued multiple warrants, and have scheduled a news conference Sunday morning.

The names of the suspects weren't immediately released.

Horrified owners have been finding their cats killed and mutilated for the past month in Palmetto Bay and another nearby community. Police say some of the dead cats were missing fur and appeared to have been cut with a sharp, straight instrument. In all, investigators have been looking into about two dozen deaths.


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[samanthajane13]

Authorities: teen arrested in Fla. cat mutilations
By SARAH LARIMER, Associated Press Writer Sarah Larimer, Associated Press Writer – 4 mins ago

MIAMI – An 18-year-old man was arrested early Sunday and accused of committing a string of gruesome cat mutilation deaths that had horrified residents of his Miami area community, authorities said.

Tyler Weinman was taken into custody early Sunday, the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office said. Weinman was charged with 19 counts of animal cruelty, 19 counts of improperly disposing of an animal body and four counts of burglary.

"I sincerely hope that with his arrest, the residents will feel relieved and their cats will be safe once again," said State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle. "It is expected that the vicious crimes that have plagued these communities will not be repeated."

Weinman was in police custody Sunday. It wasn't clear if he had an attorney. Messages left at phone numbers for his parents were not immediately returned.

Shocked pet owners in the Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay neighborhoods have reported finding cats killed and mutilated over the past month. Investigators have been looking into about two dozen cat deaths. Some of the dead cats were missing fur and appeared to have been cut with a sharp, straight instrument, police said.

"This terrible time has drawn us together as a community, further emphasizing the importance of knowing our neighbors, communicating with each other, and always staying vigilant to suspicious activities whenever or wherever they may occur in our village," said Palmetto Bay Mayor Eugene Flinn.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090614/ap_on_re_us/us_cats_mutilated

[samanthajane13]

18-year old arrested in Florida cat mutilations
By SARAH LARIMER, Associated Press Writer Sarah Larimer, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 55 mins ago

MIAMI – A South Florida teenager was arrested early Sunday and accused of killing and mutilating the cats of his neighbors — a disturbing string of deaths that has horrified residents and shaken animal lovers in two Miami-area communities.

Tyler Hayes Weinman, 18, was taken into custody at a party, police said. He was still being questioned at Miami-Dade police headquarters while authorities praised the arrest at a press conference Sunday morning.

"I understand that pet owners feel very strongly about their little family members," Miami-Dade County Commissioner Katy Sorenson said. "Animals bring happiness and comfort to our lives. So, to see them so violated and mutilated just defies all common sense and it's painful for everyone involved. Thankfully, for this community, the terror has come to an end."

Weinman was charged with 19 felony counts of animal cruelty, 19 misdemeanor counts of improperly disposing of an animal body and four felony counts of burglary related to the cat deaths. It is unclear if he has an attorney. Messages left at phone numbers for his parents were not immediately returned and no one answered the door at his home.

"I hope it's not true," said 77-year-old Robert Ehrman, who lives across the street from Weinman and called his mother a "lovely person," but said he didn't know the teen well. "It's like a death in the family, I'm sure."

Jail officials said a court date has been set for July.

In the past month, residents in the Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay neighborhoods have reported finding more than two dozen cats killed and mutilated. Some of the dead cats were missing fur — neighbors said some had been skinned — and appeared to have been cut with a sharp, straight instrument, police said.

"It's shocking to think that someone who lives right here and is our neighbor could do something like this," said Thomas Shad, whose small black cat, Miss Kitty, was among those killed.

Shad, whose house is near Weinman's, said he had suspected a local resident might be behind the killings, which were first reported in May. Police said they investigated more than 30 cat deaths — some of them likely caused by dogs — and received hundreds of tips from concerned citizens.

"This is so important to our community," Miami-Dade Police Department Maj. Julie Miller said of the arrest. "So many lives have been affected — children, adults, citizens who didn't even have animals affected."

Miller said the investigation is still open and additional arrests might be forthcoming, but she declined to name other suspects. Police said they have been watching the house where Weinman stays with his mother, and neighbors said he was taken to the police station for an interview on his prom night a few weeks ago. Weinman was still wearing a tuxedo when officers whisked him away that night, they said, and he missed the dance.

"If they do get the wrong guy and it's not him, they've ruined his life as it is right now," said 19-year-old Kyle Hantzis, who lives next door to Weinman.

Hantzis, who said his father dates Weinman's mother, called the teenager quiet and well-spoken. Authorities said Weinman was spending his summer doing odd jobs, and an online profile on Facebook.com says that he graduated from Miami Palmetto Senior High this spring. By Sunday afternoon, there was already a group on the popular social networking Web site which listed its name in all capital letters as "Tyler Weinman Cat Mutilator! Justice For Miami Cat Mutilations!"

Police said Weinman was twice arrested as a juvenile, though they said they could not provide details about his previous run-ins with the law.

Hantzis said he had a hard time picturing the teen as a serial cat killer.

"I don't think, the way he acts and his demeanor, I don't think he could physically do it."

Four of the confirmed cat killings were reported on the street where Weinman lived in a beige-colored house with a bright red door. For the Shads, his arrest brought a sense of relief to their quiet suburban neighborhood that they haven't felt since Miss Kitty's body was found in the grassy yard of an abandoned house.

"I felt that I could rest. I was at peace with what was happening," said Mary Lou Shad, who said she cried while she watched the televised press conference on Sunday. "Hopefully he gets what he deserves."


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090614/ap_on_re_us/us_cats_mutilated

[samanthajane13]

Florida teen charged in string of cat killings
By SARAH LARIMER, Associated Press Writer Sarah Larimer, Associated Press Writer – 2 hrs 14 mins ago

MIAMI – The answer to mysterious cat killings that horrified pet owners and disturbed residents of two South Florida communities for months was not far away from where the animals' mutilated bodies were discovered, authorities say.

In some cases, investigators said the suspect was just a few houses away.

Tyler Hayes Weinman, whose divorced parents live in the neighborhoods where many of the cats were killed, was charged Sunday with 19 counts each of animal cruelty and improperly disposing of an animal body.

"It's shocking to think that someone who lives right here and is our neighbor would do something like this," said Thomas Shad, a Cutler Bay resident whose black cat, Miss Kitty, was among the dead. The body of the small feral cat — which Shad and his wife, Mary Lou, had fed and cared for about a year — was found behind an abandoned house, near the hedges where she slept.

"Now we feel like we can let our cats out of the patio," said Shad, as the couple's new kitten, Miss Prissy, played near his feet. "Perhaps we have part of our life back."

Authorities said they had been watching Weinman for some time. A few weeks ago, investigators swept in to interview him on his prom night, neighbors said, picking him up in his tuxedo before the big dance. He was arrested at a party on Sunday.

"If they do get the wrong guy and it's not him, they've ruined his life as it is right now," said 19-year-old Kyle Hantzis, who lives next door.

Weinman's attorney, David W. Macey, said in an e-mail that his client was innocent of the charges.

"Tyler welcomes his day in court, so that he will be completely vindicated," Macey said.

In the past month, residents in the Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay neighborhoods have reported finding the bodies of more than two dozen cats, although police said some were likely killed by dogs. Some were missing fur — neighbors said some had been skinned — and appeared to have been cut with a sharp, straight instrument, police said.

"What a horrible, horrific death for any animal," said Nancy Mayes, whose cat, Sheba, was found dead this May. "We can only hope, I can only hope, that he killed her fast and instantly so that she didn't endure the pain of the knife, the mutilation."

Louis B. Schlesinger, a professor of forensic psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, said cat killings are committed by "complicated individuals," and are usually solo acts. He said the teenager should be evaluated, and he expected court officials to take the matter seriously.

"When you kill cats, disembowel them and cut their heads off, that is not a good sign and you do not have to be Sigmund Freud to see that," he said.

On Sunday, no one answered knocks at Weinman's beige house in the Cutler Bay neighborhood, which Shad said was stitched with police tape early that morning. A welcome mat dotted with pictures of paw prints playfully encouraged visitors to "wipe your paws."

At another address for Weinman in nearby Palmetto Bay, a red-and-black warning told fire crews that a cat lived in the house. Lights were on inside, but no one answered the door.

Messages left at phone numbers for his parents were not returned.

Police said they investigated more than 30 cat deaths since May and were flooded with tips from concerned citizens. Miami-Dade Police Department Maj. Julie Miller said the investigation was still open, but she declined to name other suspects.

Authorities said Weinman was spending his summer doing odd jobs. He was twice arrested as a juvenile, though they said they could not provide details.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090615/ap_on_re_us/us_cats_mutilated

[samanthajane13]

Police: Accused cat killer could be a 'sociopath'
By SARAH LARIMER, Associated Press Writer Sarah Larimer, Associated Press Writer – 29 mins ago

MIAMI – A South Florida teenager accused of killing more than a dozen cats fits the profile of a sociopath and responded with laughter when police first spoke to him about the cat deaths, a detective said in an affidavit released Monday.

The 10-page affidavit notes that Miami-Dade County detectives used an electronic device to track 18-year-old Tyler Hayes Weinman's car and traced his cell phone before charging him with the macabre crimes. The tracking device showed the car had stopped near places where at least two dead cats were later found. The affidavit was unsealed the same day the teen was formally arraigned in Miami-Dade court.

Weinman had already filed a written plea of not guilty to charges with 19 counts each of animal cruelty and improperly disposing of an animal body. He also faces four counts of burglary related to the cat deaths. If convicted, Weinman could face up to 158 years in prison.

Police believe Weinman, who has been released on bond, was behind the deaths of at least 19 cats whose mutilated bodies were discovered by their horrified owners or other concerned residents in the Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay neighborhoods during the spring. Altogether, more than 30 dead cats were found in the neighborhoods between April and June.

The affidavit supporting Weinman's arrest warrant details how the investigation progressed and helps explain why police grew suspicious of Weinman, whose divorced parents live in both communities.

It says Weinman, who had been expelled from two high schools, was spotted by police on surveillance in Cutler Bay after midnight on May 14 and 15. Both times, when a police detective told him about the cat killings, Weinman laughed, the affidavit says. It also says Weinman joined an online Facebook group dedicated to catching the south Miami-Dade cat killer.

During a May 15 traffic stop that led to an arrest for marijuana possession and driving with a suspended license, police also found a "cutting instrument" outside the teenager's driver's side window. At one point during the interview, Weinman took off his shirt to show authorities scratches on his body. He said the scratches came from a stray cat that he fed at his mother's house.

When police asked Weinman what tools would be needed to commit the cat killings, he responded, "I don't know, but I'm sure they are very well hidden," the documents state. When asked how the cats could have been captured, he responded, "They have to be either tranquilized or poisoned."

But Weinman's lawyer said none of the evidence directly connects his client to the crimes.

"It's really important to note that there's not one single witness in there that says Tyler Weinman touched a cat," said the attorney, David Macey.

Prosecutor Elijah Levitt said the affidavit "speaks for itself."

In one interview with police, the teenager reportedly became excited when he described a "tearing sound" when skin is ripped from a cat's body during dissections, according to the documents. But a high school teacher told investigators that no such noise occurs when cats that are dissected in a classroom setting because of the way the bodies are prepared.

After consulting with staff doctors in the Miami-Dade Police Department's psychological services section, detectives concluded that Weinman fit the profile of a sociopath.

Macey called it "junk science," and said it will be proven false.

The teen did not attend Monday's hearing, but his stepmother and his attorney were present. No trial date was set.

A hearing has been scheduled Friday on a motion that Macey filed June 29 to return property seized during the investigation.

Police removed box cutters, several knives, hypodermic needles and a metal dental tool, according to court documents. They also took an iPod, computer equipment, a pair of shoes and a piece of paper that contained typed directions.

Macey argued that the items, which were taken from Weinman and his parents, did not represent "the fruit of criminal activity" and are unrelated to any crimes.


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