BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – A Cheektowaga man was sentenced to five years of probation after he admitted to killing two of his girlfriend’s kittens.
23-year-old Moises L. Germanguerrero of Cheektowaga pleaded guilty in March to Aggravated Cruelty to Animals, a Class E felony. In addition to five years of probation, the court on Monday also banned him from owning animals for the next five years.
The Erie County District Attorney’s office said a necropsy determined the cause of death of both animals was blunt force trauma to the head. Prosecutors found through their investigation that Germanguerrero struck the cats in the head with his fist.
“This is a disturbing case of a man who killed his own pets,” Erie County District Attorney John Flynn said in a statement. “My office will continue to prosecute animal abusers to the fullest extent of the law.”
Prosecutors said Germanguerrero’s girlfriend brought her deceased cat, an 8-month-old male orange tabby named Hunter, to a veterinary hospital following the first incident in March 2021. Seven months later, in October, she brought a 7-month-old male tabby cat named Lue to the SPCA Serving Erie County, where the kitten had to be euthanized due to the severity of its injury.
“I want thank the SPCA for not only their work in this investigation, but also for the work they do every day to help animals in our community,” Flynn added.
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Nick Veronica is a Buffalo native who joined the News 4 team as the Digital Executive Producer in 2021. He previously worked at NBC Sports and The Buffalo News. You can follow Nick on Facebook and Twitter and find more of his work here .
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