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Preventing Animal Cruelty

Youth Violence and Animal Cruelty

Greater Birmingham Humane Society, Birmingham, AL

The following examples are from some of the youth violence case studies over the past few years:

May 20,1999 - - Conyers, Georgia
One month after the Columbine shootings, Anthony "T.J." Solomon, a 15 yr. old student in Conyers, Ga., Heritage High School brought two guns to school and shot six students at random. All of the shooting victims lived. At first this was thought to be a copycat shooting but with further investigation, it was disclosed that this student had a history of animal abuse. A psychologist hired to examine Solomon testified at his hearing and said, "When he shot animals with guns, he loved to look into their hat" - the student loved to shoot animals while looking them in the eye.
April 20,1999 - - Littleton, CO
Eric Harris, 18 and Dylan Klebold, 17, walked through their high school firing guns and killing anyone whose beliefs differed from their. There were multiple explosives placed around the school which were believed to be set to destroy the entire building and everyone in it. The two young gunman shot themselves after shooting 21 people, 15 fatally. Students acquainted with these boys spoke of them mutilating animals, interest in occult animals, androgynous rock star Marilyn Manson, and Nazism.
April 14, 1999 - Toms River, N.J
Samuel Manzie 17, was sentenced to 70 years in prison for the 1977 death of Edward Warner, 11, who went to the Manzie home selling candy for a school fund raiser. Manzie strangled the boy with an electrical cord after he tried to sexually assault him. It was reported that Manzie had a history of torturing his family's cats and dogs and once deliberately set fire to his room.
May 21, 1998 - Springfield, OR
Kip Kinkel, 15, allegedly walked into his high school cafeteria and opened fire on his classmates. Two classmates were killed and twenty-two others injured, four critically. Later that day police found his parents shot to death in their home. Friends and family have indicated that Kinkel has a history of animal abuse and torture. Friends say that the often bragged about torturing and killing animals.
April 9, 1998 - West Dallas, TX
Seven and 8 year-old brothers and an 11 year-old friend were arrested for kidnapping, beating and sexually assaulting a 3 year-old girl. A local television station reported that the brothers had been involved in animal cruelty.
March 24, 1998 - Jonesboro, AR
Mitchell Johnson, 13 and Andrew Golden, 11, allegedly shot and killed four students and one teacher ambushed during a fire drill at their school. A school friend of Golden stated that Andrew "said he shoots dogs all the time with a .22."
October 1, 1997 -Pearl, MS
Luke Woodham, 16, allegedly stabbed his mother to death. Woodham then allegedly went to his high school where he shot and killed two classmates and injured seven others.
Woodham stated in his personal journal that he and an accomplice beat, burned and tortured his dog, Sparkle, to death. He said it was "true beauty." In June 1988, Woodham was sentenced to three life sentences plus 20 years for each of the three counts.
December 1, 1997 - West Paducah, KY
Michael Carneal, 14, allegedly shot and killed three classmates at school. According to another student, Carneal talked about throwing cats into a bonfire. In December 1998, Carneal was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole for 25 years.
November 1996 -Tavares, FL
Rod Ferrell, 17, "vampire cult leader" and cult members Heather Wendorf, 16, Howard Anderson, 17, Dana Cooper, 20, and Charity Keesee, 17, were arrested in connection with the bludgeoning deaths of Wendorf's parents. Media accounts include animal torture and mutilation as part of their rituals.
December 4, 1994 - San Francisco, CA
A 17 year-old, along with two 15 year-old friends were arrested in the beating death of a 15 year-old friend. Officials reported that the older boy had a history of fire starting and animal torture, including an incident at age 11 where he is reported to have thrown a cat in the air until he broke two of its legs.
March 6, 1994 - Cleveland, OH
"Jack", a 16 year-old serial sex offender in Cleveland was charged with sexual battery. His other victims had included infants and animals.
August 2, 1993 - Bath, NY
Eric Smith, 13, was convicted in the beating death of a 4 year-old boy. Four years prior to the murder a neighbor said Smith choked his cat to death with a garden hose clamp.
June 1991 - Virginia Beach, VA
Shawn Novak, 16, was convicted of slashing the throats of two young neighborhood boys and was sentenced to life in prison. Several years prior to the incident, friends reported that Novak would wear a cat's paw on a necklace and would brag about killing animals. They also reported that he showed them dead birds, cat's heads and other animal bones.
In 1987 three Missouri high school students were charged with the beating death of a classmate. The three had histories of anti-social acts and all had engaged in repeated acts of animal mutilation starting several years before the murder. One youth confessed that he had killed so many cats that he had lost count.

Albert DeSalvo, the self-confessed "Boston Strangler" killed 13 women in 1962-63. In his youth he trapped dogs and cats in orange crates and shot arrows through the boxes.

David Berkowitz, the "Son of Sam" gunman shot a neighbor's Labrador retriever, claiming that it compelled him to kill it.

Carroll Edward Cole was executed in 1985 for five of the 35 murders of which he was accused. He said that his first act of violence as a youth was the strangulation of a puppy.

Patrick Sherrill, killed 14 coworkers at a post office then shot himself in August 1986. Although he had no prior record of crimes against people, he had a history of stealing pets and allowing his own dog to mutilate them.

Theodore Bundy was executed in 1989 for one of as many as 50 murders he is believed to have committed. During his eleventh hour confessions, Bundy claimed that he spent his early years with a grandfather who assaulted people and tormented animals. Circumstantial evidence also linked Bundy to graves filled with animal bones found in Utah, with Bundy's name carved in a nearby tree.

In 1984, Mr. Dwayne Wright was arrested in Pennsylvania for viciously attacking six dogs with lye. Before he could be brought to trial, New Jersey extradited him to stand trial for the murder of a disabled man. He is now serving twenty years.

Edmund Emil Kemper III, convicted in 1973 on eight counts of first degree murder for killing eight women, including his mother, had revealed at his trial that he had a history of abusing cats and dogs.

In 1984, police shot James Huberty after he killed twenty-one children and adults at a McDonalds restaurant in San Ysidro, CA. As a teenager, Mr. Huberty had shot his neighbor's dog with his gun.

Next in How You Can Help Pets: Preventing Animal Cruelty:
After Columbine - Recognizing Troubled Children