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.

Follow me on Twitter

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.


View Larger Map

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.

Follow me on Twitter

Gay Penguins are Dads

Z and Vielpunkt are a pair of Humboldt penguins living at the Bremerhaven Zoo in northern Germany. They are among a group of 20 penguins living there and, like two other couples, Z and Vielpunkt are gay.

A few years ago the zoo provoked protests from the gay community when several female penguins were brought in to tempt the gay penguins to go straight. The gay penguins however remained faithful to their mates.

Z and Vielpunkt have now started a family and are the proud parents of a young chick.

When zoo keepers noticed that an egg from a pair of penguins was being thrown out of the nest they tried repeatedly to return it, only to have the parents throw it out again. After a few unsuccessful attempts the zoo keepers thought that they would try to give the egg to Z and Vielpunkt. The gay pair accepted the abandoned egg and incubated it for 30 days until the baby was born.  They continue to care for it as if they were the natural parents.

A statement from the zoo confirms that the chick – now four weeks old – is happy with it’s adoptive parents:

“Since the chick arrived, they have been behaving just as you would expect a heterosexual couple to do. The two happy fathers spend their days attentively protecting, caring for and feeding their adoptive offspring.”

Follow me on Twitter

Von Brunn Charged with Murder

White Supremacist, James Wenneker Von Brunn, 88, was charged with the murder of Steven Tyrone Johns, 39, in what was a hate-filled, racially-motivated, anti-Semitic attack at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC on June 10, 2009. In addition to the  Murder in the First Degree charge, Von Brunn was also charged with Killing in the Course of Possession of a Firearm in a Federal Facility. If convicted Von Brunn could face the death penalty.

"This outrageous act reminds us that we must remain vigilant against anti-Semitism and prejudice in all its forms. No American institution is more important to this effort than the Holocaust Museum, and no act of violence will diminish our determination to honor those who were lost by building a more peaceful and tolerant world." said U.S. President Barack Obama.

Thirty million people have visited the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, located on the National Mall at 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, S.W. Washington D.C. 20024, since it opened in 1993. The following message was displayed on its website:

The Museum expresses gratitude for the outpouring of support and messages of condolence we have received from our Museum community, President Obama, and concerned citizens and organizations across the country and around the world. Today our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Officer Stephen Johns, who died heroically in the line of duty on June 10th protecting our visitors and staff. Despite our grief and outrage we will reopen our doors on Friday June 12, and every day after, with a renewed commitment to the urgency of our mission.

Steven Johns was the security guard at the museum who had opened the door for the approaching James Von Brunn, only to be greeted with a gunshot from the .22 caliber rifle he was carrying. The bullet hit Johns in the chest. Two other guards at the facility upon seeing what happened, returned fire and struck Von Brunn in the face. Von Brunn was taken to hospital in critical condition. Johns was killed on the scene. Spent cartridges reveal Von Brunn fired three shots and the officers fired eight.

Von Brunn's Internet writings say the Holocaust was a hoax. "At Auschwitz the 'Holocaust' myth became Reality, and Germany, cultural gem of the West, became a pariah among world nations," he wrote.

Shortly after the shootout police searched the 2002 red Hyundai with Maryland license plate number 6BVR16, registered to Von Brunn, which was doubled-parked in front of the museum. Inside they found a notebook with a hand-written note saying:

"You want my weapons - this is how you'll get them. The Holocaust is a lie. Obama was created by Jews. Obama does what his Jew owners tell him to do. Jews captured America's money. Jews control the mass media. The 1st Amendment is abrogated - henceforth. See: holywesternempire.org. JVB swore (LT UNSR) to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Jews - Bolsheviks - Zionist are America's enemies. See: Talmud - Sanhedrin "Kill the Best Gentiles!"

At the end of the above writings appears the signature "James W. Von Brunn."

Von Brunn lived at 616 Admiral Drive, Annapolis, Maryland 21401 with his son Erik Von Brunn, and Brandy Teel, his son's girlfriend. Police searched the apartment where they found more .22 caliber ammunition and a 30/30 rifle. Ledgers, journals and manuscripts were also recovered.

Von Brunn is a native of St. Louis, a World War II veteran who served in the Navy, worked in advertising in New York City and moved to Maryland's Eastern Shore in the late 1960s, where he stayed in advertising and tried to make a mark as an artist.

Public records show that in 2004 and 2005 he lived briefly in Hayden, Idaho, for years home to the Aryan Nations, a racist group run by neo-Nazi Richard Butler.

He was sentenced in 1983 for attempted armed kidnapping and other charges in his 1981 bid to seize Fed board members. A guard captured him outside the room where the board was meeting. He had a revolver, sawed-off shotgun and knife in a bag with him. He served more than six years in prison.



Steven Tyrone Johns leaves behind his 11-year-old son Steven Jr. and his mother Jacqueline Carter who said she feels like she's stuck in a bad nightmare. "It's the hardest thing I think any mother can go through."

Johns, a diehard Redskins fan, lived in Temple Hills in Maryland. He graduated in 1988 from the Crossland High School in Temple Hills. He had worked at the museum for six years and "died in the line of duty", the museum said.

"If you had to pick someone who exuded caring and seeing the best in people, that was him," said Bill Parsons, chief of staff at the museum. "He was terrific at it. He was this big guy with a big smile. If we ever had a football team, he would have been one of our linebackers."

"He was a big guy with a big heart," said Milton Talley, 44, a former colleague of Johns. "He'd do anything for the visitors that came to the museum."

Johns worked for Wackenhut Security. A union official says he asked for protective vests for guards at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum two years ago, but they never got them. He said he pushed for protective vests after a man made threatening remarks to guards several years ago.

Union district director Assane Faye says the company that employs the guards never issued the vests. Wackenhut Security would say only that all officers were wearing appropriate equipment as specified in their contract.

Mayor of  Washington D.C. Adrian M. Fenty said the capital was still an "open and safe" place for tourists. Speaking at a news conference outside the museum, he said the quick response by police to apprehend von Brunn "literally saved the lives of countless people."




Jacqueline Carter, talking about her son, put it this way:

"I'm glad that people think it was heroic, and I think it was too, but I would much rather have him alive."

Follow me on Twitter

Prostitute is Man's own Daughter

One man's infidelity finally caught up with him. This story would not have been remarkable under normal circumstances. But in this case, the circumstances were anything but normal, in fact there is a certain comedic value to this story that I am sure none of the involved parties could appreciate. Not the man nor his wife and certainly not their daughter would find anything funny about the entire episode. That being said, this is a very humorous tale!

View Larger Map

A business man living in the Israeli city of Haifa was sent by his company to take a 4-day course in the resort town of Eilat (see map for details). On the first night of his arrival the man decided to find some female company and arranged for a prostitute to come to his room.

When the prostitute arrived at his room all hell broke loose. She was the man's own daughter. He started feeling chest pains as he realized what it was that his daughter was doing for a living. Needless to say he refused her services and she did not get paid.

The man made an early departure from Eilat and returned home to tell his wife what his daughter had been doing. Upon hearing the story, his wife vowed to find their daughter and get her a more suitable job. She then directed the full force of her anger at her husband and asked him in no uncertain terms for a divorce.....the court case is pending.

Follow me on Twitter