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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Cat Killer Caught

Tyler Weinman, 18, was arrested by the Miami-Dade police. He is charged with 19 counts of animal cruelty, four counts of burglary and 19 counts of improper disposing of an animal body. His bail has been set at $100,000. There had been a reward of $12,000 posted for information leading to an arrest in this case.

"Our communities of Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay have been on edge for many weeks now because of the horrific and unspeakable slaughterings of many of their beloved feline pets. I sincerely hope that with his arrest, the residents will feel relieved and their cats will be safe once again. It is expected that the vicious crimes that have plagued these communities will not be repeated," said Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle.

"I commend the police officers of the Miami-Dade Police Department and senior trial counsel Michael Von Zamft who worked tirelessly and exhaustively with our law enforcement partners in order to put an end to these acts of cruelty. My heart goes out to the pet owners who have suffered such a great loss," Fernandez Rundle said.

Since April the residents of the communities of Palmetto Bay, Cutler Bay and Kendall had been on the lookout for a cat killer, as each night more and more of their pets turned up dead. The cats suffered terribly before dying. They were dismembered, some were gutted and all were bludgeoned over the head before being discarded on the front lawns of their owners, supposedly to cause increased emotional suffering.

Tyler Weinman's parents divorced in 2006 and he spent part of his time with each parent. According to Miami-Dade county property records, Weinman’s parents live 1.43 miles apart in an area covering much of where the cat killings took place.


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His mother, Aiba Weinman, lives on Ridgeland Drive — the street where at least four of the killings occurred. It is also the street where the killer started the cat killing rampage. His father, Douglas Weinman, lives northeast of his ex-wife – just east of where the northern most killings took place.

Although Weinman is in custody, the police may be looking for others. Palmetto Bay officials said police plan to serve warrants to multiple suspects, but they did not say how many. Circuit Judge Darryl Trawick signed the arrest warrant for Weinman. He was arrested at a party early Sunday morning (6/14/09) in Coral Gables and taken into custody.

According to Major Julie Miller of the Miami-Dade police:

This is an open investigation and even though we do have other possible subjects, we can't comment any further on what we do have.

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