Tyler Hayes Weinman Charged As Florida Cat Killer
MIAMI — A teenager accused of killing and mutilating cats in two South Florida communities must undergo a psychiatric evaluation before he is released from jail, a judge ruled Monday.
Tyler Hayes Weinman, 18, appeared at an afternoon bond hearing in a Miami-Dade County courtroom via videoconference, a day after he was charged with 19 counts each of animal cruelty and improperly disposing of an animal body and four counts of burglary related to the deaths.
Weinman wore a sleeveless, blue vest reserved for prisoners on suicide watch and occasionally shifted back and forth, at times appearing disinterested in the courtroom proceedings. Judge Mindy Glazer ruled Weinman must also wear an electronic monitoring device if he is released on bond, which was set at $249,500.
"I'm concerned about his safety and the safety of the community," Glazer said after ordering the evaluation.
Weinman is accused of the cat killings that terrorized residents of two south Miami-Dade County neighborhoods for about a month. The teenager, whose divorced parents live in both communities, was arrested over the weekend at a party. Police believe he is behind the deaths of more than a dozen cats, whose mutilated bodies were discovered by their horrified owners or other residents.
"It's trial by ambush," Weinman's attorney, David Macey, said. "It's anything goes so that they can have a body, a warm body, to solve these cat killings. My heart and my sympathy goes out to the owners of these pets, but unfortunately, it won't provide them any relief that Tyler's in custody. Tyler is innocent."
If convicted, Weinman, a recent high school graduate, could face a maximum sentence of 158 years in prison, State Attorney's Office spokeswoman Terry Chavez said.
Macey said his client had been kept awake for 24 hours and interrogated for eight hours, saying his client's case was being run with a "lynch mob mentality." Police have kept most of the details of the investigation under wraps.
"We did do some covert surveillance," Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said. "I can't tell you how we did it yet. We did do some search warrants over the weekend, to search his home and seize evidence that may exist. I can't talk about it, because it's been sealed."
On his prom night a few weeks ago, authorities also whisked Weinman away in his tuxedo for an interview.
Police have also said the investigation is still open and hinted at the possibility of more arrests, but declined to name other suspects.
An arrest report shows Weinman was arrested for marijuana possession and driving with a suspended license on May 15 in a separate incident, just days after authorities said their investigation into the cat killings began. He was also twice arrested as a juvenile, but authorities have not released the details of those cases.
"The cat killings weren't something I expected of anyone who's sane," said friend Vincent Warger, 18. "With him he was a nice guy. He was friendly. It's such a violent thing. I just couldn't see it happening from him."
Friend Elliot Evins lives in the same neighborhood where many of the cats were killed and has two cats himself.
"He is not an angry person in the least bit. He's never erupted on anyone or shown anything that would make me nervous or be anything related to what he's accused of," Evins said of Weinman.
Experts say cruelty toward cats, as opposed to other animals, can fulfill a deeper need for control. Cats, unlike dogs, can be more difficult to control. They don't come when they're called and are often more independent, said Dr. Randall Lockwood of The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and author of "Forensic Investigation of Animal Cruelty."
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Associated Press writers Kelli Kennedy and Damian Grass contributed to this report.
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SARAH LARIMER | June 15, 2009 06:43 PM EST |
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