Kitten killer takes plea deal
By Michelle Durand





The Redwood City man who killed a 4-month-old kitten belonging to his roommate’s 4-year-old daughter because she drew on the bathroom door faces 16 months in prison after pleading no contest yesterday to felony animal cruelty.

Jesus Calderon-Franco, 33, changed his plea at only his second court appearance since being arrested in the Nov. 30 incident. Prosecutors agreed to seek no more than 16 months in prison for Calderon-Franco, who has no prior convictions in this county, although Judge Cliff Cretan could opt for a lesser term.


Franco faced up to three years in prison if convicted by a jury.


As first reported in the Daily Journal yesterday, Calderon-Franco shares a residence with a male roommate and the man’s young daughter. While the father and daughter shopped Nov. 30, Calderon-Franco became angry at the drawing and grabbed the girl’s kitten, Pucci, by the neck, according to the roommate’s brother who had stopped by.


Calderon-Franco squeezed the kitten’s neck before throwing it from the second-story balcony, according to the District Attorney’s Office. He then reportedly went downstairs and stomped the kitten to death with his foot.


When the roommate and girl returned and asked about the kitten, Calderon-Franco claimed it ran away, said Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.


The father, however, said he found blood downstairs and the kitten dead in a nearby trash can. A necropsy showed the kitten suffered multiple fractures and died from pulmonary contusions.


Calderon-Franco remains in custody in lieu of $20,000 bail and an immigration hold.


Michelle Durand can be reached by e-mail: michelle@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 102.


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