Neighborhood pets stolen, tortured and killed - Selden, NY

Saturday, Nov 7, 2009

County: Suffolk

Charges: Misdemeanor, Felony CTA, Felony Non-CTA
Disposition: Convicted

Defendant/Suspect: Sharon McDonough

Case Updates: 7 update(s) available

A Long Island woman pleaded not guilty to charges of animal cruelty -- accused of kidnapping and murdering neighbors' pets, then burying them in her backyard.

Authorities have excavated at least 20 animals from the family's backyard in Selden, according to the SPCA. The investigation comes after neighbors say their pets have gone missing, one by one.

Sharon McDonough, 43, was arrested Saturday after neighbors called police on suspicion of animal abuse and neglect.

Five dogs, a cat, a bird and a hamster were taken from the house Friday after investigators suspected they were in "imminent danger." Authorities say they were found cramped in cages, covered in their own filth.

McDonough lives with her seven children, which range in age from 18 months to 21, neighbors said. Sources tell PIX News McDonough frequently involved her children in the animal killings by asking them to hold pets down as she tortured them. Authorities are now also investigating allegations of child abuse.

McDonough could still face larceny charges if any of the animals are found to have belonged to people in the neighborhood.

The excavation and investigation is ongoing.

Case Updates

A woman who abused her seven children and tortured and killed dozens of family pets, sometimes in the presence of the children, was given the maximum two-year jail term yesterday. Sharon McDonough, 44, pleaded guilty last month to animal abuse and child endangerment charges after authorities said she created what her son called 'a concentration camp for the animals' in her New York home, burying animal carcasses in her back garden. It was that adult son, Douglas McDonough, who turned in his mother to authorities in 2009. Neither he nor his six younger sisters attended the sentencing in Suffolk County Court, but Assistant District Attorney John Cortes read a pre-sentencing letter that Douglas McDonough sent to the judge. The girls, all younger than 13 when their mother was arrested, are now in foster care. 'As one who has witnessed his "mother" choke the life out of a living animal and physically and emotionally abuse and destroy her own children, I know what she is capable of doing,' said McDonough's letter, a copy of which prosecutors provided to reporters after the proceeding. 'I fear for my well-being, my sisters and my six-month-old child. She has already destroyed us to a certain point.' Suffolk County Court Judge C. Randall Hinrichs issued a permanent order of protection, requiring McDonough to stay away from her children when she is released. Because McDonough was held on $100,000 bail in the county jail since her arrest in 2009, the sentence with time off for good behaviour means she should be released as soon as mid-April, prosecutors and her attorney said. 'The penal law is inadequate to adequately address the true magnitude of the actions here,' Hinrichs said before imposing sentence. He said he agreed with prosecutors who described McDonough's actions as 'sinister, barbaric and evil'. Court-appointed attorney Christopher Brocato said McDonough understands she will no longer be welcome in her suburban Long Island neighborhood, a proposition that is largely moot because her home is in foreclosure. Brocato insisted during the sentencing that McDonough still loves her children. 'I know that may seem, on the surface, hard to believe, but she does,' the attorney told the judge. Brocato said afterwards that his client is 'overwhelmed with grief and guilt'. He said he spoke on her behalf because she was emotionally distraught. The attorney also noted that McDonough had been in an abusive marriage and was suffering from depression. McDonough's husband was killed in a car accident in 2008. Prosecutors said McDonough killed numerous kittens and dogs, stashing the dead cats in the trash, and burying 42 dead dogs in the backyard of her home. The dogs were buried because some had identifying microchips implanted in them, and McDonough feared being discovered if the carcasses were found in the trash, they said. The children were not only abused but were also forced to witness the deaths of family pets. They lived amid the animals that were kept in wretched cages filled with urine and faeces. McDonough acknowledged once placing duct tape over the mouth of a cat and hanging it from the ladder of a daughter's bunk bed until it died. Cortes also noted that the children were barred from using a bathroom in the home and were forced to defecate and urinate in buckets. She also said the children were not allowed to take showers and cleaned themselves with cloth wipes.

Source: dailymail.co.uk - Mar 31, 2011 Update posted on Apr 1, 2011 - 12:00PM

A woman tearfully admitted Thursday that she abused her children and dozens of pets, sometimes torturing dogs and cats to death in the presence of six young daughters in a home that her son described as "a concentration camp for the animals." Sharon McDonough, 44, pleaded guilty to a 13-count indictment charging her with animal abuse and child endangerment. Suffolk County Court Judge C. Randall Hinrichs said he would sentence McDonough on March 28 to a two-year maximum term. McDonough has been held on $100,000 bail since her arrest in December 2009; the time she has served will count toward her sentence and she is expected to be freed in April or May. Court-appointed defense attorney Christopher Brocato said McDonough pleaded guilty to all the charges to save her children from having to testify at her trial. "She knows there's no excuse," Brocato said. "I can't imagine she's going to be a welcome sight in the community when she gets out. She knows she's going to be an outcast forever." Of McDonough's possible explanation for her actions or her mental state, Brocato said: "She's had some issues in her life. I'm not a psychiatrist, but she's tormented by what happened and is willing to take the blame." He noted that McDonough's husband was killed in a car accident in 2008. He added that his office and prosecutors collectively have received about 200 "hate mail" messages condemning McDonough's actions. No members of her family, including her six daughters, attended the hearing. The girls, all younger than 13 when McDonough was arrested, are in the custody of Family Court; prosecutors said they are prevented by law from discussing their current status. Assistant District Attorney John Cortes said he will ask the judge to issue an order of protection when she is sentenced, requiring McDonough to not contact the children after her release. McDonough killed numerous kittens and dogs, stashing the dead cats in the trash, and burying 42 dead dogs in the backyard of her home in Selden on New York's Long Island, prosecutors said. The dogs were buried because some had identifying microchips implanted in them and McDonough feared being discovered if the carcasses were found in the trash, they said. The children were not only abused, but were forced to witness the deaths of family pets. They lived amid filthy conditions from the animals who were kept in wretched cages that were filled with urine and feces, the prosecutor said. She admitted in one instance to placing duct tape over the mouth of a cat and hanging it from the ladder of one her daughter's bunk beds until it died. The children were barred from using a bathroom in the home and were forced to defecate and urinate in buckets, McDonough admitted in court Thursday. She also said the children were not allowed to take showers and cleaned themselves with cloth wipes. Prosecutors said they were alerted to the conditions at the home by McDonough's adult son, Douglas, who had moved out. He told authorities the children were forced to subsist on peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches and macaroni and cheese. At one point, he brought his sisters frozen TV dinners but later learned that his mother had confiscated the food. He described the home as "a concentration camp for the animals." McDonough faces two years on the animal cruelty charges, but only a one-year term for the child endangerment offenses because they are misdemeanors, prosecutors said. "For the past five years, we have urged state lawmakers to approve legislation that would make child endangerment a felony," Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said in a statement. "She repeatedly terrified her six daughters by torturing and killing animals in their presence and that crime should be a felony punishable by imprisonment in an upstate correctional facility."

Source: huffingtonpost.com - Feb 24, 2011 Update posted on Feb 24, 2011 - 4:19PM

A Selden mother pleaded not guilty to endangering the welfare of a child and animal cruelty charges at her arraignment on a grand jury indictment in Riverhead today. Sharon McDonough faces six charges of endangering the welfare of a child, two felony charges of aggravated cruelty to animals, and five misdemeanor animal cruelty charges. Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said the endangering the welfare charges allege the McDonough home on Awixa Place in Selden smelled of feces and urine where “the six young girls in the house were not permitted to use the toilet or shower”. “The children in this house lived in terror and unimaginable squalor; conditions that posed a genuine threat to their physical and mental health,” Spota said. Count 13 of the indictment alleges the youngest daughter, born in March of 2008, was repeatedly slapped by her mother who was awakened by the infant’s crying. “According to two of the children, Mrs. McDonough slapped the baby’s back repeatedly while screaming that she would kill the child,” Spota said. The first (count one) of two felony animal cruelty charges in the indictment alleges Sharon McDonough in June of 2006 strangled a Maltese dog in the presence of her oldest daughter who was approximately 10 years old at the time of the incident. “The second felony (count two),’ the district attorney explained, “alleges the defendant slammed a cat against a ledge after the cat knocked over flower pot. Our investigation found evidence she wrapped duct tape around the cat’s nose and mouth and hung the animal from the ladder of her child’s bunk bed, killing the cat. The defendant’s 11 year old daughter witnessed this cruelty.” Several other counts allege similar incidents of extreme animal cruelty Counts one and two of the indictment are charges of felony aggravated animal cruelty charges under New York State Agriculture and Markets Law punishable upon conviction of a maximum of 2 years. The remaining cruelty and child endangerment counts are misdemeanors punishable under New York State Sentencing Law to a maximum of two years when sentenced consecutively.

Source: Empire State News - January 22, 2010 Update posted on Jan 23, 2010 - 3:01PM

A New York woman accused of forcing her children to torture household pets and burying dozens of animals in her backyard has been indicted on charges of child endangerment, animal cruelty and animal torture, according to court records released Tuesday. Sharon McDonough, 43, is scheduled to be arraigned on the upgraded charges Thursday in Suffolk County Court in Riverhead, on Long Island. Her attorney said she will plead not guilty. A court Web site lists 12 new charges against the mother of seven. Six of the counts are for endangering the welfare of a child, all misdemeanors; she also faces two counts of felony aggravated cruelty to animals and four misdemeanor counts of torturing or injuring animals. Details of the crimes were not revealed because the indictment remains under seal until Thursday; her attorney confirmed she faces an arraignment on the new charges. A spokesman for the district attorney's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Defense attorney James D'Angelo said his client is not guilty. "We intend to vigorously fight these charges," D'Angelo said. He added that "she absolutely denies" that she forced her children to participate in torture. McDonough was arrested in November on six misdemeanor animal cruelty counts after authorities found five dogs and a cat found crammed into cages, covered in feces and urine, their coats matted with filth. A Family Court judge removed custody of McDonough's six daughters, ranging in age from 18 months to 13 years, from the home. Subsequent searches by the Suffolk County SPCA uncovered 42 animals buried in the backyard. Necropsies later determined that some of the animals' mouths had been duct taped shut. Douglas McDonough, 21, who turned in his mother on Nov. 5, described the home as "a concentration camp for the animals." He claimed he and some of his siblings were present when animals were abused and killed. He did not immediately respond to an e-mail Tuesday seeking comment. After McDonough's arrest, some neighbors feared the worst for pets that disappeared in recent months. But Roy Gross of the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals later concluded that McDonough bought the animals or adopted them through shelters and other traditional outlets. Gross declined to comment Tuesday on the upgraded charges.

Source: Aol News - January 19, 2010 Update posted on Jan 19, 2010 - 6:44PM

A woman will undergo a psychiatric evaluation following the discovery of more than 40 dead animals buried in her Long Island yard. Suffolk County Judge Paul Hensley said Monday that psychiatrists will determine whether Sharon McDonough is "an incapacitated person." The results are due Friday. McDonough pleaded not guilty last month to animal abuse after five dogs and a cat were found living in squalid conditions inside her Selden home. Authorities later uncovered 42 dead animals buried in her backyard, but have yet to upgrade charges. McDonough's adult son claims she forced her children to participate in some of the abuse. A Family Court Judge has removed custody of her six daughters, ranging from 18 months to 13. Attorney James D'Angelo says McDonough is looking forward to clearing her name.

Source: WCAX - Dec 14, 2009 Update posted on Dec 14, 2009 - 4:30PM

A mother of seven is accused of running a house of horrors for pets at her suburban Long Island home, forcing her children to help torture them and burying at least 20 dogs in her backyard -- animals neighbors now fear were beloved pets that mysteriously disappeared over the years. Sharon McDonough pleaded not guilty last week to six counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty on suspicion of abusing five dogs and a cat found crammed into cages, covered in feces and urine, their coats matted with filth. A judge has taken away custody of the 43-year-old woman's six young daughters. McDonough's neighbors began fearing their missing pets met a worse fate than the abused animals after her son led officials to a backyard filled with the shallow graves of 20 dogs. Douglas McDonough, 21, who turned his mother in to authorities on Nov. 5, called the home "a concentration camp for the animals" in comments to reporters after the arrest. "She would have the oldest kids hold down the dog while we duct-taped his mouth and she would hit him," he said, adding that he and his sisters were all forced to take part in the abuse. On Tuesday, a judge removed the six girls -- ages 18 months to 13 years -- from the custody of McDonough, who is widowed. Her court-appointed attorney, James D'Angelo, called the animal cruelty counts a "low-level offense." "She's not charged with killing animals and is entitled to a presumption of innocence," he said. No one answered the door at McDonough's home this week. Dozens of people have called the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals since the case broke, fearing their missing pets had been victimized, Suffolk County SPCA Chief Roy Gross said. "My daughter is still crying every day over her lost Chihuahua," said neighbor Sharyn Padula of the family's dog Bally, who disappeared just over a year ago. Two cats, Annabelle and Sylvester, also went missing. After the dog disappeared, the family "posted pictures everywhere, Craigslist, and went doorbell to doorbell asking people if they'd seen him," said Padula, who lives a few houses from McDonough. "I really hope they don't find my pets there." McDonough's two-story red brick house sits on a middle-class block of closely placed, well-kept homes buffered by manicured lawns and festooned with holiday decorations -- except for McDonough's, an unkempt structure with peeling paint, surrounded by fallen, matted leaves. Since the dog carcasses were found, vandals have spray-painted "killer" on the garage and "guilty" on McDonough's mailbox. Rotten eggs were splattered on the house and on an SUV parked outside. A New York tabloid has dubbed her the "Cruella De Vil of Long Island." Gross was summoned to the home after Douglas McDonough contacted Rescue Ink, a group of bikers who stage animal rescues in the New York metropolitan area for a television program of the same name on the National Geographic Channel. Efforts to reach the group, created several years ago by a former NYPD detective and ex-security guards and bouncers, were unsuccessful. Its messaging system was full and an e-mail seeking comment went unanswered. Authorities found the animals -- a shepherd mix, a beagle mix, an Italian greyhound, a cocker spaniel mix, a pug and a tabby cat -- in wretched cages in the house. A "sickening" smell in the back yard nearly overcame animal control officers and firefighters, Gross said. "This is one case I'm sure I will never forget out of the thousands and thousands I have seen," said Gross, a 25-year veteran of abuse investigations. "It's probably one of the most horrific cases of animal cruelty." After Douglas McDonough told investigators about the animals buried in his family's backyard, SPCA authorities returned to the house with a search warrant and began digging. In all, 20 dogs were found in varying states of decomposition, suggesting they had died over a period of years. Gross said necropsies were being conducted and veterinarians would search the bodies for implanted microchips that might help identify them. That could be the only way to determine whether any of the dead dogs had been stolen. Upgraded larceny or grand larceny charges might be filed by the police if it can be proved any of the animals were stolen, Gross said. It wasn't clear why McDonough's son waited until last week to alert authorities, and contact information for him could not be found. A note from the Suffolk Division of Public Health was taped to McDonough's front door Monday, saying the agency wanted to know about "bags of human feces in the backyard and garage." A health department spokeswoman did not return a call from The Associated Press seeking comment. Two of McDonough's daughters have been placed with their older brother, two with neighbors and two in foster care. Suffolk County social services officials would not comment on the status of the child welfare case and whether charges were possible. McDonough, whose husband, Darren, was killed in a car accident last year, faces up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine for each count of misdemeanor animal cruelty if convicted. If authorities upgrade the abuse charges to a felony, she could be sentenced to up to two years in prison on each count if convicted. Padula said she hopes the necropsies do not turn up her Chihuahua or other pets.

Source: Associated Press - Nov 12, 2009 Update posted on Nov 12, 2009 - 5:29PM

The Long Island woman suspected of torturing and killing about 20 dogs before burying them in her backyard forced her children to take part in her animal "concentration camp," according to her son. "It was a concentration camp for the animals," Doug McDonough, the eldest of suspect Sharon McDonough's seven children, told WCBS. "My sisters and me, we got the end of it, too." Doug -- who tipped off the animal rescue group In what the Suffolk County SPCA chief considers one of the worst cases of animal abuse that he has scene in 25 years, investigators have already unearthed the remains of almost two dozen dogs from the backyard, and discovered a shepherd mix, a beagle mix, an Italian greyhound, a cocker mix, a pug, and a cat living in deplorable conditions inside. Those pets are recovering and are up for adoption. Neighbors whose pets have gone missing fear that the suspect -- who according to the Post "began to act a little off" after her husband was killed in a car accident last year -- might have stolen their animals. "It looked like a real murder scene, as if they were gonna pull out dead bodies out there," said one neighbor. "The smell was unbearable. They were taking bags out by the dozen. It was crazy."

Source: Gothamist - Nov 10, 2009 Update posted on Nov 10, 2009 - 9:24AM

References

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