*****THIS ALERT IS NO LONGER ACTIVE*****
DO NOT SEND THIS ALERT!
The Office of the Bronx County District Attorney,
Thank you for recognizing public concern in the case of Tiger Lily, a kitten scorched
alive inside an oven on May 6, 2009. I understand
Cheyenne Cherry, 17, is charged with felony aggravated animal cruelty, burglary,
arson, criminal trespass, reckless endangerment and criminal
mischief.
I respectfully ask for your utmost deliberation in the investigation of Cherry and
her accomplice, who allegedly broke into the home of ex-
roomate Valerie Hernandez and trapped Tiger Lily inside an activated stove.
Apparently, they ransacked the apartment and raised the oven
heat before fleeing with stolen items. The girls never heard Tiger Lily's last
screams and scratches against the oven door.
Please seek the maximum adult incarceration of two years for felony animal cruelty.
Cherry also faces possible jail terms of 15 years for
second-degree burglary, one year for arson, and four years for criminal mischief. I
urge you to hold both teens accountable. Both require
psychological evaluation and therapy. Both should be barred from possessing or
working with animals.
At the very least, they ought to be interned in a juvenile detention hall until age
18, if applicable. Then, reassessment of the their personality
traits can determine if adult imprisonment is necessary.
Adolescents who commit brutal crimes against humans usually begin with animals.
Columbine shooter Eric Harris, 18, smashed mice with a
crowbar and set them on fire. Washington D.C. serial killer Lee Boyd Malvo killed
stray cats with a slingshot. Kip Kinkle blew up a cow and
burned a live cat. He then shot 25 classmates and murdered his parents in
Springfield, Oregon. After Luke Woodham, 16, mortally stabbed his
mother and shot nine others, he confessed to bludgeoning his dog and setting her on
fire. As a teen, Jason Massey slaughtered 37 cats, 29
dogs and six cows. At 20 he decapitated and disemboweled a girl, 13, and shot a boy,
14.
These murderers, like Cherry, were able to torture and kill without remorse. Indeed,
the intentional burning of an animal "should be
considered particularly significant as a predictor of violent and even homicidal
behavior," says Dr. Randall Lockwood of ASPCA Anti-
Cruelty Initiatives and a frequent consultant for cruelty investigators, law
enforcers and mental health professionals.
Cherry thought we’d play a joke on Valerie. Roasting a defenseless
kitten is no joke. It is the calculated action of a
sociopath and a predator.
Thank you for prosecuting Cherry and her accomplice to the fullest degree allowed by
law.
Sincerely,
YOUR FULL NAME
ADDRESS, CITY, STATE
COUNTRY
