Thread: Children Stone, Kill Kitten in East Mesa

Children Stone, Kill Kitten in East Mesa
Add a Comment January 8, 4:11 PM
by Chris Robideaux, Phoenix Pets Examiner
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Insert photo caption or credit hereAppalling as it is, as unthinkable, yet sadly believable in our society as this crime may be, there it still stands: two East Mesa boys admitted to stoning and later hanging to death a 4-month-old kitten, the Maricopa County Sheriff's office said.

According to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the boys - ages 6 and 7 - are too young to be charged with animal cruelty. Arizona state law prohibits charging anyone under the age of eight with a crime.

The investigation began Oct. 23, 2008 when a neighbor called the sheriff's office after finding the dead cat. Deputies went to the neighborhood and found the kitten hanging by its neck from a backyard tree.

According to deputies, the boys used a wire from a video game controller to hang the cat. The kitten's head had been beaten with a rock.

Arpaio said Child Protective Services declined involvement, saying the circumstances of the case were outside the department's criteria. Nevertheless, CPS reversed course Friday afternoon and said it will look into the matter, saying it discovered a little-used provision in the laws stating that the department can investigate if a child under the age of 8 commits a crime.

The sheriff's office child forensic specialist also interviewed the two boys in the presence of their parents, (who are, allegedly, illegal immigrants from Mexico). Sheriff Arpaio said he hopes someone in the counseling community will come forward to offer services on a volunteer basis.

"The kind of psychological care these boys need … will be very expensive," the sheriff said. "Both families are likely to be greatly burdened by the m
Yes, expensive, and extensive. edical help required."


"This level of animal abuse at such a young age could be a predictor of worse violence in the future," Arpaio said. "Though it is a little unusual for us to get involved in this way, we're doing whatever we can to find the guidance these two boys need to avoid that."

Arpaio also said the boys were playing the popular video game Grand Theft Auto before they killed the kitten, and he blamed the game for the crime.

Please don’t let one more innocent animal fall victim to blatant (child) neglect. Please read a good book to your children, and for God’s sake – throw out the violent video games, TV and movies, before our children transform into reprobate criminal monsters beyond redemption.

Thank you.

http://www.examiner.com/x-2297-Phoenix- ... -East-Mesa

"This level of animal abuse at such a young age could be a predictor of worse violence in the future,"<<<<< TRUTH!!!!

Some more of those good family values we are forever hearing about! Want to bet the kids have already been exposed to cock fighting?

I didn't even want to read this one. This type of abuse makes me sick to my stomach. Anyone that would be so low as to treat a helpless animal like this deserves to be put away. There is simply no excuse for this. Go figure the parents of these two monsters are illegal aliens. How can people not teach the value of life to their own kids? I teach my child to protect the innocent and weak. To respect all things that live now matter what.

IMO kids arent born to be cruel and have such a disregard for life. They learn it from someone.

Jeffrey Dahmer and MANY other serial killers started out hurting and killing animals.

I'm not an advocate for violent video games, but most people who play them don't go out and torture and kill innocent animals. There is something seriously wrong with these kids. They are devoid of empathy.

This is very sad and caught my attention. I have been living in Mexico for 10 years and one of the first things that disgusted me was the treatment of animals. They are the lowest of the low and treated as such. A gringo organization in our area started a few years ago to spay and neuter dogs and cats for free to anyone who wished to bring in their pet. This organization has prevented many unwanted animals from being born but they have not been able to fufill their goals of educating the people here on ethical treatment of animals. Often this same kind of behaviour is carried out by children here. I have not seen it myself but I do know others that have and of course intervened. Once a gringo who stopped the death of a puppy was called into immigration and warned to mind their own business lest be deported! The people who run the shelter here say that when children (or adults) abuse animals it is because abuse is happening in the home. It is a big problem here and the mentality no doubt is carried with immigrants who move north. Remember they bring their customs with them and some of them are beautiful and others are horrible like this one.

Originally Posted by mexigrrrl

This is very sad and caught my attention. I have been living in Mexico for 10 years and one of the first things that disgusted me was the treatment of animals. They are the lowest of the low and treated as such. A gringo organization in our area started a few years ago to spay and neuter dogs and cats for free to anyone who wished to bring in their pet. This organization has prevented many unwanted animals from being born but they have not been able to fufill their goals of educating the people here on ethical treatment of animals. Often this same kind of behaviour is carried out by children here. I have not seen it myself but I do know others that have and of course intervened. Once a gringo who stopped the death of a puppy was called into immigration and warned to mind their own business lest be deported! The people who run the shelter here say that when children (or adults) abuse animals it is because abuse is happening in the home. It is a big problem here and the mentality no doubt is carried with immigrants who move north. Remember they bring their customs with them and some of them are beautiful and others are horrible like this one.

Thank you for that bit of insight. Knowing the culture of Mexico sure helps up understand what is going on here. This explains the prevalence of dog fighting and rooster fighting that takes place in Texas. No regard at all for these poor animals.

One thing I notice here in Houston is that when I have to travel to the poor Hispanic communities to work, I always see a lot of stray animals and animals just roaming the streets. As well there are always lots of animals that have been run over as a result of no supervision. I guess this same idea that their pets are low forms or life is the reason why they are not kept secure and get run over. Pretty sad that a culture values life so little. But then you can see this with the drug gangs that are running Mexico. It is also obvious if you have ever been to a bullfight in Mexico. This horrible custom has been carried on since the days of the Roman gladiators. You would have thought a country and it's people would have grown a lot more civilized since that time. Treating any living thing in this fashion is just barbaric.

Originally Posted by bigtex

Originally Posted by mexigrrrl

This is very sad and caught my attention. I have been living in Mexico for 10 years and one of the first things that disgusted me was the treatment of animals. They are the lowest of the low and treated as such. A gringo organization in our area started a few years ago to spay and neuter dogs and cats for free to anyone who wished to bring in their pet. This organization has prevented many unwanted animals from being born but they have not been able to fufill their goals of educating the people here on ethical treatment of animals. Often this same kind of behaviour is carried out by children here. I have not seen it myself but I do know others that have and of course intervened. Once a gringo who stopped the death of a puppy was called into immigration and warned to mind their own business lest be deported! The people who run the shelter here say that when children (or adults) abuse animals it is because abuse is happening in the home. It is a big problem here and the mentality no doubt is carried with immigrants who move north. Remember they bring their customs with them and some of them are beautiful and others are horrible like this one.

Thank you for that bit of insight. Knowing the culture of Mexico sure helps up understand what is going on here. This explains the prevalence of dog fighting and rooster fighting that takes place in Texas. No regard at all for these poor animals.

One thing I notice here in Houston is that when I have to travel to the poor Hispanic communities to work, I always see a lot of stray animals and animals just roaming the streets. As well there are always lots of animals that have been run over as a result of no supervision. I guess this same idea that their pets are low forms or life is the reason why they are not kept secure and get run over. Pretty sad that a culture values life so little. But then you can see this with the drug gangs that are running Mexico. It is also obvious if you have ever been to a bullfight in Mexico. This horrible custom has been carried on since the days of the Roman gladiators. You would have thought a country and it's people would have grown a lot more civilized since that time. Treating any living thing in this fashion is just barbaric.

I've been to the bullfights several times in mexico and I can tell you they can be quite barbaric. The bulls don't have anything going for them but thier sheer brute strength.

As for the animals I have seen down there during my travels-it is pathetic. One time I was with a friend, we were on our way to Rosarito on a brand new (then) toll highway. It was smooth and clean and safe. On the side of the road was a dead dog-looked to be a German Shepard, but it was hard to tell because it didn't have a head. On the way back that same day on the same toll road, was the dog's head.

Another time I saw a burned up car with the charred carcass of another dog just laying on top of the roof. That was what effectively ended my trips down there for good. No more mex for me.