Rabbit's paws cut off, left to die
Buffalo, NY (US)Incident Date: Thursday, Feb 23, 2006
County: Erie
Disposition: Dismissed
Persons of Interest:
» Peter Colon
» Luis Lopez
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
Two men trying to make a gruesome point cut the front paws off a white rabbit on the morning and of Feb 23 and left it to bleed to death on a woman's West Side doorstep, according to Buffalo police and officials from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Peter Colon, 40, and Luis Lopez, 31, both of Prospect Avenue were charged Feb 24 with felony aggravated cruelty and harassment. They were being held in Erie County Holding Center without bail pending arraignment Feb 25 in City Court.
Shortly after 8 a.m., the Seventh Street woman told police she saw two men come up to her home and leave the rabbit on her back steps. The rabbit was still alive but had no front paws and was bleeding profusely, according to police reports. It died a short time later.
The paws had been cut off with a snipping tool or a hatchet in an act that probably involved two people, said Barbara Carr, executive director of the Erie County SPCA.
"We're paying very, very close attention to this case," Carr said. "It's not just about a rabbit being tortured. This is an extreme act of violence."
Authorities say they believe family problems led to the episode. Police said they are looking into the possibility the incident might have been a ritualistic killing designed to cause misfortune to the recipient of the animal.
Det. Patrick O'Rourke of the Buffalo Police: "We believe it was a religious ritual used in Santeria to put a hex on an individual at that address."
Local news spoke with a man at the home where the rabbit was found. He didn't want to go on camera, but says he believes his sister's ex-husband left the rabbit on her step to hex her.
He says in the Santeria religion, cutting off the front legs of an animal works as a hex to paralyze someone or cause them to be in a terrible car accident.
Still, SPCA officials don't see felony charges in an animal cruelty case very often. The aggravated cruelty charge is reserved for the most egregious cases.
"You have to prove there was intent and depraved indifference to the animal, and the animal has to be killed or seriously injured," Browning said. "It's meant for exactly this kind of violent act."
Case UpdatesTwo Prospect Avenue men were cleared Wednesday of criminal responsibility for the mutilation of a rabbit left at the doorstep of a Seventh Street home on Feb. 23.
Erie County District Attorney Frank J. Clark confirmed that a grand jury issued a no-bill, declining to indict Peter Colon, 40, and Luis Lopez, 31, on charges of felony aggravated cruelty and harassment. Clark declined to discuss the case, except to say some "material elements" of evidence were missing.
Police said the animal, whose front paws had been cut off, died quickly. The female occupant of the house where the rabbit was left had identified Colon and Lopez, whom she knew, as the ones who left the animal there.
Neither Colon nor Lopez nor attorneys representing them could be reached to comment.
Police initially speculated that a domestic dispute led to the ritualistic killing of the rabbit as a form of voodoo, intended to cause misfortune to the owner of the house where it was left to die. | Source: Buffalo News - May 18, 2006
Update posted on May 22, 2006 - 4:49AM |
The Honorable Judge Craig D. Hannah ruled that the felony animal cruelty case is, as of today, dismissed from Buffalo City Court and moved to an Erie County Court Grand Jury. He looked directly at the defendants, when he commented to them that, "This case is in no way over; don't think that this is done." Animal-lovers, SPCA officials, and representatives of the Buffalo Police working on the case were present in the court room at the time of the ruling.
Peter Colon, 40, of Prospect Avenue in Buffalo, and Luis Lopez, 31, also of Prospect Avenue, were arrested by Buffalo Police last week and charged with felony cruelty to animals and harassment. SPCA Senior Investigating Agent Michael Armatys is assisting Buffalo Police in the investigation of the animal cruelty charges, a death deemed "haunting" by SPCA officials. | Source: SPCA of Erie County - March 3, 2006
Update posted on Mar 18, 2006 - 3:51PM |
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