Cat Killer Affidavit Released

At 18-year-old Tyler Hayes Weinman's arraignment the police released the previously sealed arrest affidavit detailing why they think he murdered and mutilated 19 neighborhood cats. Although there were no eyewitnesses, the police based their suspicions on three factors:

1. Weinman's odd behavior
   


2. A cutting tool they found outside his car
   


3. His proximity to where cats were found

Weinman was not in court for his arraignment. His attorney entered a written plea of not guilty on his behalf.

"It's really important to note there is not one single witness that says Tyler Weinman touched a cat -- not one witness," said his attorney, David Macey, after the court hearing.

Weinman was arrested on Sunday 6/14/09 by Miami-Dade police on 19 counts of felony animal cruelty, 19 counts of improperly disposing of an animal body and 4 counts of burglary. For further details click the following links:

• Cat Killer Caught


• Cat Killer in Court


• Cat Killer Released on Bond.

The first 4 pages of the 10-page affidavit details the brutality with which 19 cats were mutilated and murdered. The report noted that the cats were abducted, killed in a different location and then brought back and dumped on their owners' properties.

The report also details how Weinman was stopped twice late at night and questioned about the cat killings in the neighborhood. The third encounter with Weinman resulted in him being taken in for questioning. He was pulled over for a traffic violation and police saw a "cutting instrument" on the ground outside his driver's side door and also saw a plastic bag with a gram of marijuana inside the car.

During questioning Weinman seemed to know a lot more about dissecting cats than he could have learned in school and even became excited and animated while talking about the subject. Police also noticed scratches on his neck and back; Weinman said he had received them while feeding a stray cat.

After the police had finished questioning Weinman they obtained permission to tap his cell phone and install a GPS tracking system in his car. With the GPS information, they were able to place him near two of the cat mutilation scenes.

Weinman was subsequently arrested and both his parents' houses were searched from which they removed various items including: Box cutters, several knives, hypodermic needles and a metal dental tool. They also took an iPod, computer equipment, a pair of shoes and a piece of paper that contained typed directions.

Staff Doctors from the Psychological Services Section said the person responsible for killing the cats is suffering from a Conduct Disorder and would be a Sociopath.

Weinman told police he "despises" his father and after being expelled from high school due to marijuana, said he didn't need to go to school because his "grades were off the chart." Weinman's teachers said he was troubled, frequently late and had a bad attitude.

If convicted on all charges, Weinman could face up to 158 years in prison. A trial date has not yet been set.

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Cat Killer Released on Bond

Tyler Hayes Weinman, 18, was arrested early Sunday morning (6/14/09). By Wednesday afternoon he was freed on $249,500 bond after going through a psychological evaluation that determined he was not a danger to himself or anyone else.

Weinman faces a multitude of charges: 19 counts of animal cruelty, 19 counts of improperly disposing of an animal body and four counts of burglary related to the mutilation and killing of 19 cats in his neighborhood. He could face a sentence of up to 158 years in jail.



Under the terms of his release, Judge Thornton said Weinman will remain under house arrest with an electronic monitoring device and will have to attend outpatient psychotherapy classes twice a week. He will be arraigned on July 6th.

One of his lawyers, Michael Walsh, said after the hearing that police have no evidence and rushed to arrest Weinman because of intense public outcry.



"My son is innocent, and I know he didn't kill the cats. That will be proven in court. He is gentle with cats, and I am truly moved by the hundreds of people who have shown their support for him," said Douglas Weinman.

The case against accused serial cat killer Tyler Weinman is based entirely on circumstantial evidence and could depend on the county crime lab's ability to adapt DNA and other forensic tests typically used for human victims to animals.

Prosecutors are hoping items found during a search of Weinman's home – including several knives discovered hidden in Weinman's bedroom – will provide them with the proof they need. Those knives may very well be the key to the case. But forensic tests involving animal blood is not routine. Prosecutors are still waiting to learn if they can match DNA from a dead cat to possible blood found on the knives in Weinman's bedroom. If prosecutors through blood or DNA evidence can link Weinman to just one dead cat, then they believe their overall case becomes much easier to prove.

The lead prosecutor on the case, Assistant State Attorney Michael Van Zamft, acknowledged they are still trying to sort out what forensic tests are possible, including possible DNA tests.

"Do I think the evidence that we collected from the search warrants will make the case stronger? Yes I do," said Van Zamft. "Do I think our case is sufficient based on the information we had before the arrest? Yes I do."

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Cat Killer in Court

18-year-old Tyler Hayes Weinman went before Judge Mindy Glazer on Monday 6/15/09. He was arrested the day before by Miami-Dade police on 19 counts of felony animal cruelty, 19 counts of improperly disposing of an animal body and 4 counts of burglary.



Weinman appeared before the judge wearing a prison-issued suicide gown, a one-piece garment designed to limit an inmate's ability to hurt himself.



Tyler Weinman is no stranger to feline anatomy, he dissected the animals last year in class at Palmetto High. Anatomy teacher Lynn Evans, a self-described animal lover, said she was shocked to learning her quiet former student had been arrested and charged with cruelty to animals.

''I don't know how we can bridge the gap between a controlled [classroom] situation, to what this disturbed young man has done,'' Evans said in an interview, adding that about 8,000 of her students have dissected cats during her 24 years of teaching anatomy.

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer ordered Weinman held on $249,500 bond, and ordered a psychiatric evaluation to determine whether he is a risk to himself or others. If and when he is released, he will be on house arrest, monitored via an electronic ankle bracelet. If convicted of all charges, Weinman could face a maximum sentence of 158 years in prison. Police said Tyler Hayes Weinman was twice arrested as a juvenile, but could not disclose details.

David W. Macey, Weinman's attorney, objected to the judge's decision, saying he was not given enough time to prepare for the hearing. He also complained that his young client had been interviewed by police for more than eight hours and had been kept awake for 24 hours following his arrest.

''I can say the investigation is being led by a lynch-mob mentality, steam-rolling Mr. Weinman's constitutional rights,'' Macey said after the hearing.

"It's a sad day for the Constitution because Mr. Weinman is innocent," Macey said. "The individual who committed this crime is still running around out there."


"My heart and my sympathy goes out to the owners of these pets, but unfortunately it won't provide them any relief that Tyler is in custody. Tyler is innocent," Macey said.

According to Katy Sorenson, Miami-Dade County Commissioner:

“I understand that pet owners feel very strongly about their little family members. 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.”

19-year-old Kyle Hantzis, who said his father dates Weinman’s mother, called Weinman quiet and well-spoken. 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.

If they do get the wrong guy and it’s not him, they’ve ruined his life as it is right now,” said Kyle Hantzis

Weinman's friend, Alex Falgons said "If he didn't do it, somebody really framed him really good." Falgons said he has known Weinman since middle school and suspects the killing spree had to do with his new stepmother, who recently moved into Weinman's father's home in Palmetto Bay with at least a dozen of her cats.

Weinman's father, Douglas Weinman, is a dentist, and his office was closed Monday. His mother, Aiba Weinman, is a life coach, according to her Web site. She, too, was not around to comment on her son's arrest. For more on the life of Tyler Weinman see this post.

"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.

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Brutis the Cat Rescued at Last

There is a sense of familiarity to a story about a cat getting caught up in a tree. This is one of these stories but with a twist. This story is not so much about the cat, rather it is about the downright un-neighborliness of a Phoenix police officer who seemed willing to thwart the efforts of his neighbor to recover his cat.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xP5Q5t4jSzI]

It all began on Dec. 23, when homeowner, Michael, realized that his cat named Brutis had escaped from the house. When Michael finally tracked Brutis down, he was stuck in the branches, two stories in the air, on his neighbor's property. So Michael knocked on his neighbor's door and explained that his cat was stuck up in the tree. The neighbor, a Phoenix Police Officer, said there was nothing he could do and that the cat would probably come down on its own.

Brutis did no such thing. On Christmas day he was still in the tree. The Arizona Humane Society was called but their ladder was too short to rescue Brutis. They suggested that Michael leave food at the trunk of the tree to entice the cat to come down, but to Michael's surprise the police officer refused to let him leave any food. The officer would not let him back on the property, claiming that he was concerned that if someone got hurt while trying to get the cat on his property, he would be liable. Michael tried squirting water from a hose at his own house at the cat. Brutis did not budge.

“It seems like I just have to sit here and watch my cat starve to death or freeze to death,” Michael said.

A Phoenix Police spokesperson, Sgt. Tommy Thompson, said the officer did what he could to help the cat. He said the Humane Society called the officer an "angel" who did all he could.

When I spoke to the Arizona Humane Society they advised that the officer was very patient and did everything he possibly could to facilitate the rescue of the cat throughout the course of this incident. In addition, because of the large amount of attention this story has gained, which garnered complaints, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office sent investigators to look at the possibility of animal cruelty. I spoke with the supervisor, who went to the scene, and he told me that the officer had done absolutely nothing wrong and the cat was fine.

The news media got involved and aired Michael's efforts to rescue Brutis. Due to the publicity received, the police department began to receive negative phone calls and emails attacking the officer. The officer even had derogatory things written on his sidewalk.

On Dec. 29, Brutis was still in the tree. That was when Toni Smith and Terry Toman who are with Citizens for North Phoenix Strays decided to try to get the cat down.

"There's some friction here between these neighbors and I said I could care less about the people I just want to go up and get the cat," said Smith.

Smith and Toman said they chose to go behind the home on a public sidewalk and lean a 25-foot ladder against the cop's back wall. In this way, they figured they were not on his property. Just as they were about to get the cat, Smith said, "This guy comes barreling out of his house, flashed his gun and his badge, and started screaming and freaking out." Toman added, "It's a little overkill". They had to retreat without the cat.

Both Smith and Toman said they were willing to sign a waiver guaranteeing they would not sue the officer if they should hurt themselves while rescuing Brutis.

"Its just a cat in the tree. Why can't we just go there and get the cat and move on" said Toni Smith.

The next day Dec. 30, possibly due to all the attention, Phoenix Police Officers from the Desert Horizon Precinct obtained a large ladder and with several officers securing the ladder, one climbed up the ladder and removed the cat from the tree. Brutis the cat appeared in excellent condition and was returned to its owner. Michael said Brutis is a bit tired, scared and skinnier after 9 days in the tree, but by all accounts appears okay.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3UXaxJpvek]

"I'm pretty happy, he lost a lot of weight up there, he was a little chubby when he went up and he's kind of  boney now," Michael said.

Michael said he has no hard feelings for the people who own the tree the cat was stuck in, he's just glad to have Brutis safely home.

"He wasn’t allowed out in the first place…specifically for this kind of reason," Michael said. "And I don’t ever want him to get out again. I’d like to think he learned his lesson, but he’s probably not that smart. He couldn’t figure out how to get out the tree."