Case Details

Cat beaten to death
Brooklyn, NY (US)

Date: Apr 8, 2004
County: Kings
Local Map: available
Disposition: Convicted
Case Images: 1 files available

Abuser/Suspect: James Whalen

Case Updates: 2 update(s) available

Case ID: 2204
Classification: Beating
Animal: cat
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Abuse was retaliation against animal's bad behavior
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A Brooklyn man allegedly beat his fianc�e's cat to death with his bare hands - all because the tabby nipped his thumb, authorities said.

Juliette Moore mourned her cat Darwin as her now ex-fianc� James Whalen faced up to two years behind bars for what officials called an extraordinarily cruel attack.

"I wish he was dead instead of Darwin," a heartbroken Moore told the Daily News.

The fatal beating of 9-pound Darwin unfolded in Moore's Bay Ridge apartment, she said.

Whalen "called me at work and said, 'I just killed Darwin,'" said Moore, 35. "I said, 'No! No!'He said, 'I picked him up, he bit my thumb and I just started hitting him. I can't believe I killed him.''

When Whalen, also 35, refused to take the cat to the vet, Moore called her mother to fetch Darwin and rescue his brother Huxley.

Veterinarian Brett Levitzke, who called the ASPCA after the battered, dead cat was brought into his Bay Ridge office, said it was one of the "most disturbing" cases he had ever seen.

"He had a fractured jaw, severe bruising in both eyes, on both ears, and the tip of his tail was broken and lacerated," said Levitzke, of the Brooklyn Veterinary Emergency Service.

Moore said she met Whalen, a bike messenger, seven years ago on the R train. They moved in together last year and recently got engaged.

She said Whalen would often snuggle and kiss the cats. "He was so loving and affectionate, and that's why it's so mind-blowing," said Moore, a call center supervisor in Manhattan.

But Whalen had a troubled past and a bad temper that emerged when the house was messy, Moore said. In recent months, she noticed injuries on the 4-year-old Darwin and said the cat appeared frightened of Whalen.

Moore broke off the engagement and kicked Whalen out of their apartment last week.

Whalen was arrested and charged with aggravated animal cruelty, a felony.

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Case Updates

Whalen was sentenced to five years' probation on March 11 and ordered to continue alcohol abuse and anger management treatment.

"I'm sorry," James Whalen, 36, told state Supreme Court Justice John Walsh.

The sentence was part of a plea deal that kept Whalen out of jail.

"I feel terrible. It was a huge mistake. The cat bit me and I just snapped," he said afterward, adding that his 8-1/2-year relationship with Juliette Moore, who owned Darwin, was over.

"It's a shame. We were going to get married."

Whalen was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals and other crimes in the April 8 incident and faced up to four years in prison if he didn't comply with court orders to attend therapy. A veterinarian who treated the battered cat called the case one of the "most disturbing" of his career.

Soon after Whalen beat the 9-pound tabby in Moore's Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, apartment, he lost his messenger job, he said yesterday. A fellow biker branded him "J-J the cat killer," he said.

"I've been doing things to help myself," he said. "We had two cats. Darwin was my favorite. I loved the little guy."

Despite apologizing to Moore, she refuses to have anything to do with him, he said.

"I've said I'm sorry," he said. "It's been terrible. I can't change what I did."
Source: New York Daily News - March 13, 2005
Update posted on Mar 14, 2005 - 2:11PM 
(NEW YORK, NY) April 14, 2004 At approximately 4:00 PM today, James Whalen ,35, surrendered to authorities at the 68th Precinct in Brooklyn. He was arrested and charged with Aggravated Animal Cruelty, a class E Felony, for allegedly beating and killing his girlfriend's five- year- old cat. Special Agent Joe Pentangelo of The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' (ASPCA) Humane Law Enforcement Department made the arrest and charge.

On April 8, 2004 at 7311 Fourth Ave. in Bayridge, Brooklyn, Mr. Whalen allegedly beat and killed the cat. His girlfriend's mother discovered the cat and brought it to Brooklyn Veterinary Emergency Service in Bayridge. There, a staff veterinarian, Dr. Brett Levitsky, notified the ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement Department. Special Agent Pentangelo interviewed the veterinarian, suspect and suspect's girlfriend prior to today's arrest.

If found guilty, Mr. Whalen will serve a minimum of one year in prison and a maximum of two years and a $5,000 fine.
Update posted on Apr 16, 2004 - 9:05PM 

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References

New York Daily News
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