Florida Criminal Lawyer Blog

Our South Florida defense attorneys have been following an animal cruelty case out of South Miami-Dade. Tyler Weinman, 18, has been accused of mutilating and killing 19 cats in the region. He had been jailed pending a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation, but was released on Wednesday on $249,500 bond and will face arraignment on July 6. His charges include 19 counts of felony animal cruelty, 19 counts of improperly disposing of an animal body, and four counts of burglary.

Weinman was arrested at a friend's house on Sunday morning, and prosecutors have not released much information on why the teen is a suspect. His defense attorney was allowed to view, but not keep, the affidavit that outlines the evidence against the suspect.

Weinman was stopped for running a red light on May 15, and police say they questioned him about the cat killings at that point. He was also charged with marijuana possession and driving with a suspended license. One of his lawyers said the police jumped to conclusions about Weinman because of intense public outcry. His lawyers and several family maintains maintain that the teen is innocent.

Accused cat killer Tyler Weinman freed on bond, Miami Herald, June 18, 2009

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A Palm Beach County middle school teacher was charged with two felonies on Monday after the corpses of her two cats were discovered at her Boca Raton apartment on February 23. Boca Raton Criminal Lawyer Douglas Leifert has learned that Allison Dinsmore, 26, was originally accused of misdemeanor animal cruelty, but Palm Beach County prosecutors increased the charges to two counts of felony cruelty to animals. Each count carries a maximum penalty of up to five years in jail.

Phone messages and emails to Dinsmore and her defense attorney went unanswered. In February, Dinsmore told police that she couldn’t remember the last time she had been at her home in Boca Raton, because she’d been spending a lot of time at her boyfriend’s and working long hours at the middle school. However, she thought she’d left food and water for the cats.

According to Boca Raton investigators, the cats had been dead for about a month before the corpses were uncovered by an apartment manager. The manager also found signs of a frantic search for food and water.

Source: Teacher charged with felonies in deaths of two cats in Boca Raton apartment, Sun Sentinel, March 31, 2009

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