CONVICTED: Was justice served?
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Case #699 Rating: 3.8 out of 5
Cat beaten with flashlight, set on fire
Napa, CA (US)Incident Date: Friday, Jan 5, 2001
County: Napa
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Martin Paul Berg
There will be no jury trial for the Napa man accused of bludgeoning and torching a cat. Martin Paul Berg, 40, pleaded no contest to two counts of felony cruelty to animals. In the plea bargain, the district attorney agreed to dismiss a third count of arson against Berg. The court treats a no contest plea the same as a guilty plea.
Berg, a former Domino's Pizza delivery man, was accused of bashing a cat over the head with a metal flashlight, dousing it with charcoal lighter fluid and setting it on fire.
The court ordered Berg to undergo a psychological evaluation at San Quentin Prison, which could take up to 90 days.
Until a couple of weeks ago, Berg was out of police custody after posting $60,000 bail. However, the security for the bail bond was withdrawn and Berg was taken into custody and jailed.
On the evening of Jan. 5, Berg delivered three pizzas to a residence on Cooks Court when he saw the cat and tried to pet it, according to a Napa police report.
Berg told investigators that when the cat attempted to scratch him, he hit the animal with a flashlight and put it in the back of the truck. At his next delivery on Locust Street, Berg took the cat from the truck, poured charcoal starter on it and set it on fire, police said.
Neighbors found the cat alive and called a veterinarian, but the animal was so severely burned, it had to be put to sleep, the report said.
According to the report, Berg told investigators he wanted to get even with the cat and wanted the cat to suffer the way he would have suffered if the cat had scratched him. The cat's owner was never found.
Berg was sentenced to three years and eight months in state prison. References« CA State Animal Cruelty Map
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