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