CONVICTED: Was justice served?
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Case #536 Rating: 4.0 out of 5
Cat tied to a tire, drowned
Syracuse, NY (US)Incident Date: Saturday, Apr 6, 2002
County: Onondaga
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Matthew Morris
A Syracuse teenager who killed a neighborhood cat by tying it to a tire and tossing it in the waters of the Inner Harbor area in April offered an apology as he was sentenced Monday.
"I'm sorry I did it," Matthew Morris told state Supreme Court Justice John Brunetti. "I don't really have a reason why. It won't happen again. I'm sorry."
Brunetti sentenced Morris to five years' probation including 54 days in jail, despite a prosecutor's request for a substantial prison term.
Morris, 17, of Highland Street pleaded guilty last month to a felony charge of aggravated cruelty to animals for killing the cat April 6.
Assistant District Attorney Laura Fiorenza asked Brunetti to sentence Morris to the maximum penalty of two years in jail, calling Morris' conduct "scary" and "sick." She said she was particularly concerned because Morris appeared to have been motivated by nothing other than boredom or his own pleasure.
But defense lawyer David Savlov attributed Morris' conduct to a substance-abuse problem and the lack of any direction or supervision at home. Savlov said a sentence of probation would provide Morris with the direction and supervision he needs.
The judge noted Morris' parents work and neither was in court for the case.
With Morris getting credit for 33 days served in the Justice Center jail, Brunetti said his sentence would require Morris to serve at least three nights in the Onondaga County Correctional Facility in Jamesville.
In accepting Morris' plea last month, the judge had ruled out any longer sentence.
But he did agree to Fiorenza's request that Morris be ordered not to own any animals or live in any house with any animals as a condition of probation.
Brunetti also granted Morris youthful offender treatment, removing the felony conviction from his record and sealing the case file.
References« NY State Animal Cruelty Map
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