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Man admits to burning cat to death

By Howard B. Owens

A 400 Towers resident admitted in County Court yesterday that he placed a live cat in his apartment's oven and baked it to death.

If the case had gone to trial 42-year-old Darren Annovi could have faced a maximum sentence of two years in county jail, but with the plea deal his sentence will be capped at five years probation and six months in jail.

He will be sentenced Nov. 29.

District Attorney Lawrence Friedman said he believed there was strong evidence against Annovi and that is presumably why he agreed to plead guilty, but he wouldn't discuss any possible statements Annovi may have made and didn't know why Annovi killed the cat.

"I don't think there is any rational explanation for why (he did it)," Friedman said.

Wendy Castleman, with Volunteers for Animals, who assisted in the investigation by paying for the cat's autopsy, said outside of court that she thought Annovi should be barred from ever owning pets again.

Friedman said he recommended to her that she contact the probation department prior to Annovi's sentencing and suggest that as a sentencing option, but that any such prohibition of pet ownership could not extend beyond the term of Annovi's probation.

Typically, county jail sentences can't be longer than a year; otherwise. inmates are sent to a state prison, but the Ag and Market Law this case was prosecuted under allows for a two-year maximum county sentence.

Annovi is out on bail of $5,000 bail.

Our news partner, WBTA, provided information for this story.

Richard Diegert

This gentleman was just sentenced to 5 years probation...that is ridiculous!!! He should have gotten jail time, he killed a cat, not only that he put a live cat in an oven and cooked it. That is complete animal abuse...what if it had been a child??????

Dec 1, 2016, 3:44pm Permalink

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