Case Details
Case Snapshot
Case ID: 13256
Classification: Mutilation/Torture
Animal: cat
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Abuse was retaliation against animal's bad behavior
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Two cats violently squeezed, one dies
Selden, NY (US)

Incident Date: Saturday, Feb 23, 2008
County: Suffolk

Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Convicted

Defendant/Suspect: David Wrigley

Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

A Sayville man who lost his temper and manhandled his girlfriend's cats has been charged with felony animal cruelty after one of them died of its injuries, Suffolk police said.

David Wrigley, of Virginia Court, pleaded not guilty Wednesday in connection with the death of Maddeline the cat, age 8, authorities said. After spending Tuesday night in jail, Wrigley was released without bail following the hearing.

The other cat, Jynx, age 6, sustained broken ribs and other injuries said Sara Sabol, now Wrigley's ex-girlfriend.

Sabol, 27, a hairdresser who began dating Wrigley in December after he came to her salon for a haircut, said she would never talk to him again.

"These cats are my babies. They're not just cats to me. They're my children. I can't forgive this person," a distraught Sabol, 27, said. "And you betray me and you beat my cats, and one of them died? How could I forgive you?"

Police said Wrigley had a testy relationship with the cats.

"The cats didn't take to him. They didn't like him, wouldn't come over and crawl on his lap type of thing," said the Sixth precinct's Lt. Michael S. Murphy. "So -- and this is his version -- he was trying to get them to like him."

The cats sustained their injuries when Wrigley, 24, tried Saturday night to move the cats from behind the bed in the home Wrigley and Sabol shared on Highview Avenue in Selden, Murphy said. When the cats wouldn't budge, he yanked the bed out -- then slammed it back, crushing the cats between the bed and the wall, Murphy said.

"Eventually, he reached under the bed to pull them out, and they wouldn't come, and he grabbed them and squeezed them," Murphy said, "which probably worsened the injuries they had."

Sabol, who wasn't home at the time, came home shortly .afterward to find her cats acting sluggish. Sabol asked Wrigley what was wrong with the cats. Wrigley did not acknowledge what had happened and dismissed her suggestions that they bring the cats to the .veterinarian, Sabol said.

Wrigley Wednesday said he made a mistake.

"I never meant to hurt anything," Wrigley said shortly after his arraignment in Central Islip Wednesday. "It's bad enough that I lost a girl that I love."


Case Updates

The Sayville man who flung his girlfriend's cats across their bedroom in a fit of rage last month, killing one of them, pleaded guilty and began serving a jail sentence Thursday.

David Wrigley, 24, pleaded guilty in Suffolk County Court to misdemeanor animal cruelty in the Feb. 23 outburst that killed Maddeline, age 8, and injured Jynx, 6.

Before allowing Wrigley to approach the spectator area briefly and kiss his mother, Suzanne, goodbye, Judge James C. Hudson ordered him into the Suffolk jail. He will be sentenced April 3 to an agreed-upon 4-month sentence.

The conviction is a substantial step down from the two felony counts of aggravated animal cruelty Wrigley was initially charged with, which could have sent him to prison for 2 years.

The arrangement also spared Wrigley's now ex-girlfriend, Sara Sabol, 27, from having to appear on the witness stand -- an experience the hairdresser said she'd rather avoid.

"I lost my cat, my boyfriend and my apartment," Sabol said in a telephone interview. "I can move on, and grieve for my Maddeline."

Wrigley also agreed to pay $1,800 in veterinary fees for Jynx, who had broken ribs and punctured lungs. Sabol said Jynx is "doing good. He's healing."

Prosecutor Michelle Auletta said Wrigley, in the Virginia Court apartment he and Sabol shared, first slammed a bed against a wall knowing the two cats were underneath it.

He then picked up the two cats and "for no justifiable reason" threw them across the room, Auletta said.

The district attorney's leniency in the case stemmed from Sabol's willingness to move on, Auletta said.

"Though she has been cooperating from day one, she is very emotionally drained from what happened," Auletta said.

She said Sabol did not request an order of protection for Jynx -- a motion that is increasingly common in domestic cases involving animals.

The plea deal may also allow Wrigley to follow his dream of joining the Navy, as the military does not admit felons.

Last week, Wrigley missed his leave date for training, said his lawyer, Ira Rosenberg, of Central Islip. But Wrigley's recruiter has since said the start date may be postponed.

"He feels terrible about what happened," Rosenberg added.
Source: NY Newsday - March 6, 2008
Update posted on Mar 8, 2008 - 1:20AM 

References

ABC News
Newsday

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