FW: [AnimalAdvocacy] Cat's violent death in Kansas: Letters needed

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L. French [elf8000]Friday, 26 January 2001 05:57AnimalActivistsUnite ; AnimalAdvocacy ; ARactivist ; VeganWay ; zand; petlaw; Conncat; NYC_ADL; almackey; Adela; mdenicolo; cmacmurray; P12KNIGHT; kids; mmissinglink; FRappo; ndipalo; KLinJoy; bstagno; KCopeland; JEHoffman; igedo; amgk9; pawtoheart; helpananimalin2000; animalrightsactivist; rigarda.goetz; cmarcus_1; satya; jennyseeche; lollyflop; elizforel; Rights4Animals2; deboralynn; Wackko8281; CACC; DinaCohen; Sandy; ISAR; Susan.HSNY; Steve; Kdownes; adam; enh148Subject: [AnimalAdvocacy] Cat's violent death in Kansas: Letters needed(Moderator's Note: Each letter you send better educates officials on the nature and consequences of violence toward animals. Don't let the sad circumstances keep you from writing. Please print out a copy of the sample letter (change some of the wording first) and send to the prosecutor. The residents and officials of Kansas need to be informed of the seriousness of such crimes. It's the only way to honor the memory of Mama Cat. Please write.)BACKGROUND:The case is currently under review by the Douglas County DistrictAttorney's office. We need to send letters urging maximum prosecution. I am not including a sample letter because we all should know the drillby now, in which we cite "the Link" -- the connection between violence toanimals and violence to humans, etc., etc., etc. This case is "classic"in that regard. And of course it's better if we not send verbatimletters. Please use your own voice.The perpetrator, Brett Rizzo, is a 23-year-old non-student (Lawrence isthe home of the University of Kansas). The case has been "bumped up" frommunicipal court to district court (possibly because illegal drugs werefound at the scene). There are currently two misdemeanor charges againstRizzo, one for animal cruelty and the other non-animal-related.) Interesting note: Kansas state law KSA 21-4310 makes cruelty to animalsa Class A misdemeanor. Animal cruelty used to be a Class B misdemeanorin Kansas until fairly recently. What upped the ante? Remember"Scruffy"? Scruffy was the little terrier dog in Kansas City, KS, whowas tortured and murdered by a bunch of sick a-hole b*stards whovideotaped themselves committing the crime. The videotape eventually cameto light and received national attention.Momma Cat's killer fits the Sick A-hole B*stard profile to a tee. So nowmaybe Momma Cat will be the martyr who makes cruelty to animals a FELONYin Kansas. Further details at: http://www.ljworld.com/section/citynews/story/39949SAMPLE LETTER: Please personalize by changing some of the words. Remember to ADD your NAME & ADDRESS & forward widely.===========================================================================TO:Christine Tonkovich, District AttorneyOffice of the Douglas County District AttorneyJudicial and Law Enforcement Center111 East 11th StreetLawrence, KS 66044Tel. (785) 841-0211(The Lawrence Police Department is at the same address; tel. (785)832-7650.)RE: Prosecution, Sentencing & MANDATORY Psychiatric Treatment of Brett Rizzo for violent animal mutilation and drug possessionDear District Attorney Tonkovich:I'm sure you're aware of the sick, violent and out-of-control torture and death of sweet "Mama Cat" perpetuated by Brett Rizzo. Along with the mangled, battered cat's body, officers found blood stains on a wall, a balcony and a door of an apartment.Twenty-three-year-old Rizzo has been issued notices to appear in Municipal Court on misdemeanor charges of cruelty to animals and damage to property. I ask, however, that you insist on the maximum penalties under the law with mandatory psychiatric treatment to include possible confinement in a psychiatric hospital.I encourage you to prosecute this violent offender to the fullest extent of the law for his sick and remorseless crime. If you don't already know, social scientists and law enforcement officials have identified animal abuse as a symptom of emotional illness and a precursor to violent crimes against human beings. For your reference I have attached several examples of convicted criminals with a background of animal abuse.Several states prosecute animal abuse as a felony offense and impose mandatory psychiatric counseling along with jail time and fines. As the trail of sad examples below show, and recent violence across our country attest to; it is time to send a clear message to people capable of intentionally inflicting serious injury or death to helpless animals, that such brutal and senseless crimes will not be tolerated and there are guaranteed consequences for those who would show such disdain for the law.Please protect the children, animals and citizens of Kansas by immediately getting them off the street and giving them serious jail time and a fine. Anyone who devalues life in this manner should not be walking the streets without MANDATORY PSYCHIATRIC TREATMENT.Sincerely,ATTACHMENT: CASES OF ANIMAL ABUSERS PROGRESSING TO HUMAN VIOLENCE=====================================================================Recent cases in the news of random attacks on high school students and children, show that each disturbed individual had a history of animal abuse. Research in psychology and criminology shows that people who commit acts of cruelty against animals often move on to their fellow humans. The following list is just a "sample" of people who first committed crimes against animals and graduated to committing crimes against humans. EACH TIME WE IGNORE ANIMAL ABUSE, WE ALLOW THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE PERPETUATOR'S EMOTIONAL ILLNESS WILL ESCALATE INTO HUMAN TRAGEDY, SOMETIMES OF EPIDEMIC PROPORTIONS!ANIMAL VICTIMS /HUMAN VICTIMS: REPORTS FROM POLICE CASE FILES"Russell Weston Jr., tortured and killed 12 cats, by burning, cutting their tails, paws, ears off, put toxic chemicals in their eyes, blinding them, forcing them to eat poison, hanging them from trees; the noose loose enough to create a slow and painful death, as the cat/kitten struggles to free itself as the noose gets tighter with each attempt. Later killed 2 officers at our Nation's Capitol.""Jeffery Dahmer loved to dissect animals (he learned this in school). Later he dissected boys, and kept their body parts in the refrigerator. Murdered 17 men.""On May 21, 1998 in Springfield, Oregon; 15-year-old Kip Kinkel set a live cat on fire and dragged the innocent creature through the main street of town. He walked into his high school cafeteria and opened fire on his classmates. Two classmates were killed and 22 others injured, four critically. Later that day, police found his parents shot to death in their home.""Albert De Salvo, the "Boston Strangler," would place a dog and cat in a crate with a partition between them. After starving the animals for several days, he would remove the partition and watch them kill each other. He raped and killed 13 women by strangulation. He would often pose the bodies in a shocking manner after their murders.""Richard Allen Davis set numerous cats on fire. He killed all of Polly Klaus' animals before abducting & murdering Polly Klaus, aged 12, from her bedroom.""Eleven-year-old Andrew Golden, 13-year-old Mitchell Johnson, tortured and killed dogs. A friend of Golden stated that "he shoots dogs all the time with a .22." On March 24, 1998, in Jonesboro, Arkansas; Golden and Johnson shot and killed four students and one teacher during a fire drill at their school.""Prior to commiting multiple murders, Luke Woodham, age 16, wrote in his personal journal that he and an accomplice beat, burned and tortured his dog, Sparkle, to death. Woodham said it was "true beauty." He poured liquid fuel down his dog's throat and set fire to her neck, both inside and outside. On 10/1/1977, Woodham stabbed his mother to death and then went to his high school where he shot and killed two classmates -- two girls aged 16 and 17, and injured seven others. In June 1998, Woodham was found guilty of three murders and seven counts of aggravated assault. He was sentenced to three life sentences and an additional 20 years for each assault.""Theodore Robert Bundy was forced to witness animal cruelty by hisgrandfather. He later killed thirty-three women.""Michael Cartier pulled numerous rabbit's legs out of their sockets when he was four years old and threw a kitten through a closed window. He went on to shoot Kristin Lardner three times in the head, killing her.""Henry Lee Lucas killed numerous animals and had sex with their corpses. He killed his mother, common law wife and an unknown number of people.""Edward Kemper cut up two cats. He later killed his grandparents, his mother and seven other women.""Richard Speck threw a bird into a ventilator fan. Killed eight women.""Randy Roth taped a cat to a car's engine and used an industrial sander on a frog. Killed two of his wives and attempted to kill a third.""David Richard Davis shot and killed two healthy ponies, threw a wine bottle at a pair of kittens and hunted with illegal methods. Murdered his wife, Shannon Mohr Davis, for insurance money.""Peter Kurten, the Dusseldorf Monster, tortured dogs, and practiced bestiality while killing the animal. Murdered or attempted to murder over 50 men, women and children.""Richard Trenton Chase, "The Vampire Killer of Sacramento," bit the heads off birds, drained animals for their blood, killed animals for their organs, and later killed six people in random attacks. One police officer who was at the scene of the first murder, confessed to having nightmares about the crime or months afterwards.""The Kobe Killer, an as yet unnamed 15-year-old boy in Japan, beheaded a cat ad strangled several pigeons. Decapitated 11-year-old Jun Hase, and battered to death a 10-year-old girl with a hammer, and assaulted three other children in separate attacks.""Richard William Leonard's grandmother forced him to kill and multilate cats and kittens when he was a child. He later killed Stephen Dempsey with a bow and arrow. He also killed Ezzedine Bahmad by slashing his throat.""Tom Dillion murdered people's pets. He shot and killed Jamie Paxton, aged 21; Claude Hawkins, aged 49; Donald Welling, aged 35; Kevin Loring, aged 30; and Gary Bradely, aged 44.""At 9 years old, Eric Smith strangled a neighbor's cat. At 13 years old, he bludgeoned four-year-old Derrick Robie to death. Smith lured the little boy into the woods, choked him, sodomized him with a stick, then beat him to death with a rock.""When Jack Bassenti's dog had puppies, he buried all but one of them alive. He later raped and murdered three women.""David Berkowitz, "Son of Sam," poisoned his mother's parakeet out of jealousy. He later shot thirteen young men and women. Six people died and at least two suffered permanent disabilities.""Arthur Shawcross repeatedly threw a kitten into a lake until the kitten drowned from exhaustion. Killed a young girl. Then, after serving 15-1/2 years in prison, he killed 11 more women.""Michael Perry decapitated a neighbor's dog. He later killed his parents, his infant nephew and two neighbors.""Jason Massey killed cats, dogs and cows. Killed his thirteen year old stepsister & a fourteen year old boy.""Patrick Sherrill Stole neighborhood pets and encouraged his dog to attack them. Killed 14 people at his workplace.""Keith Hunter Jesperson, "The Happy Face Killer," strangled a cat. He is known to have killed at least one woman.""Joel Steinburg refused medical treatment for his adopted daughter Lisa's pet rabbit when it broke its leg. He later killed her; when she was found, Lisa had extensive bruises all over her body from repeated abuse.""Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world...indeed, it is the only thing that ever has!" -- Margaret Mead To Join this List Send an E-Mail to: AnimalAdvocacy- To View & Download Previously Written Letters Visit the Moderator's Home Page at: http://www.angelfire.com/hi2/ArtemisKittiesOnline/letters.html