Mesa man who allegedly killed family pets claims being ‘possessed by demons’

Jason Sperry, 20, is accused of killing three pets at his Mesa apartment.(Maricopa County Sheriff's Office)
Published: Mar. 22, 2023 at 2:07 PM MST

MESA, Ariz. (3TV/CBS 5) — A Mesa man is in custody, accused of killing three pets and reportedly telling investigators he did it because he was “possessed by demons.”

Monday afternoon, a woman called 911 saying she had just returned home when her son had threatened her with a knife. The suspect reportedly told her that he killed all the pets and that he would kill her, too, if “she did not repent.” He then reportedly chased her out of the apartment with a knife.

When police arrived, they took 20-year-old Jason Michael Andrew Sperry into custody. Inside the apartment, officers found a dead dog, a cat, and a bearded dragon lizard. Per court documents, Sperry told police that he was possessed by demons and voices in his head said he needed to “free the animals.” He also reportedly said he killed the animals because they reminded him of his family members.

According to court documents, police noticed that faces has been cut out of family photos. They also took several knives from Sperry and removed other knives from the apartment. Sperry was booked on charges including animal cruelty and aggravated assault.