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Cat owners rest easy after arrest announced in cat slayings
By Rachel Hatzipanagos and Mike Clary
6:12 PM EDT, June 14, 2009
MIAMI
The
air of unease hovering over a suburban Miami neighborhood for the past
month seemed to lift like a fog today with the arrest of a recent high
school graduate who the county's top prosecutor said is responsible for
"the horrific and unspeakable slaughtering" of 19 cats.
"These are highly disturbing crimes," said State Attorney
Katherine Fernandez Rundle. "Cruelty against animals deeply touches our
hearts."
Tyler Hayes Weinman, 18, was charged with 19 counts of animal
cruelty and related offenses. He lives with his mother in the 19000
block of Ridgeland Drive, within miles of where most of the mutilated
cat corpses were found, police said.
His father, divorced from his mother, lives nearby.
"I'm glad that it seems to be over," said Tom Shad, 64, who lives three
blocks from Weinman and whose pet Miss Kitty was found slain three
weeks ago.
Shad has three other cats. "We've lived in fear for our cats since May 14 when our cat was killed," he said.
Officials said there does not appear to be any connection between the
incidents in the Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay neighborhoods and a recent
flurry of cat slayings in Lauderhill.
A recent graduate of Miami Palmetto Senior High School, Weinman was
arrested early today while attending a party in Coral Gables, police
said. He has one prior arrest, for possession of cannabis on May 29,
court records show.
Police put the home of one of Weinman's parents under surveillance
several weeks ago after receiving tips from community members, said
Miami-Dade Police Maj. Julie Miller.
Reflecting the fear and dismay sparked by the killings, Weinman's
arrest was announced with unusual fanfare by Fernandez Rundle and
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez at a news conference this morning at
the Cutler Bay Town Hall. "Cat owners can breathe a sigh of relief
today," Alvarez said
If Weinman is guilty, Shad said, "I hope he gets the help he needs. But he needs to pay for what he did."
Weinman had joined a Facebook.com group named "Catch the Cat Killer!''
that had more than 1,000 members, including many of his high school
classmates. Some found the news of his arrest shocking.
"I would never be able to believe that Tyler would do something like
this," said Kathy Hernandez, 18, who said she has been friends with
Weinman for six years and attended high school with him. "He is a great
friend and I don't think that he could do something like this."
Fernandez Rundle vowed to vigorously prosecute the case on behalf of
pet owners and the cats who "were not able to express their unexpected
suffering…"
Asked about the near-universal outrage that cruelty to animals
provokes, Boston-based Northeastern University sociologist Jack Levin
said, "By law, this is a relatively trivial offense, but in the hearts
and minds of pet owners, this is a grievous crime."
Lauderhill has also reported a rash of cat slayings.
Police there said last week that lab results determined at least some
of the dead cats found in their area were the victims of dogs.
"At this point, we haven't had any solid evidence that there is human
intervention," Lauderhill police spokesman Rick Rocco said today. "Our
detectives will contact Miami-Dade to see if there are any ties to
Lauderhill, but at this point, it's unlikely."
Staff Researcher Barbara Hijek contributed to this report.
Rachel Hatzipanagos can be reached at rhatzipanagos@sunsentinel.com or 954-802-9590