Father And Son Jailed For Killing Cat With A Broom

A father and son will be jailed for killing a cat with a broom. Jean Roger Murat, age 61, and his son Robenson, age 30, have accepted a plea bargain that includes 30 days in jail.

The father and son state that the 18 month old cat was a stray that had been hanging around their home for approximately one year. Robenson claims that, while his mother regularly fed the cat, it was not a family pet.

As reported by the NY Times, a witness overheard strange noises coming from the Murats’ yard, leading to a gruesome discovery. The neighbor describes observing Robenson and his father taking turns beating the cat. Robenson reportedly used a pillowcase with a “heavy item” inside, while his father hit the cat with a broom.

The unidentified witness says that once the cat was dead, the two men placed it inside the pillowcase. Authorities later confirmed that the father removed the cat from the pillowcase, leaving it on a street corner overnight. In the morning, he returned and put the bludgeoned cat back inside the pillowcase, eventually dumping it in his garbage bin.

As reported by NY Daily News, the witness reported the father and son to authorities. Police contacted the ASPCA, who joined the investigation.

A search warrant revealed the dead cat in the trash bin and the broomstick in the attic. Officials also recovered cat hair, feces, blood, and a “partial claw.”

The cat’s carcass was sent to the Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital for analysis. Dr. Bonnie Wong ruled that the cat suffered bleeding of the mouth and bruising of the lungs, liver, brain, spinal cord, and ribs, all of which led to its death.

The Murats have both plead guilty to animal cruelty charges which carry a sentence of 30 days in jail and five years of supervised probation. The father and son are banned from owning animals.

Neither the father or son have revealed a motivation for killing the cat.