Rascell Williams: Man Charged With Videotaping Cat Torture

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Police are accusing a 22-year-old upstate New York man of hanging his girlfriend's four-month-old kitten with a belt and making a video of the animal struggling.

Joanne Cichy (SEE'-chee) told Syracuse police she couldn't find her kitten when she returned home Halloween night after going trick-or-treating with her children. The next day she found a video on her digital camera showing the kitten hanging from the apartment door with a belt around its neck.

Police said the video showed the kitten struggling before going motionless and Cichy's live-in boyfriend, Rascell Williams, stepping in and out of the video.

The injured kitten was later found alive under the porch.

Williams was charged with unjustifiable animal cruelty. Police did not know if he has an attorney.

Comments

[Hugatreetoday]

Can I please volunteer to hang the BF up by his b*lls with electrical wire and zap him with a taser gun simultaneo­usly....PL­EASE?!!!!!

[octavia1]

Where do I sign the petition?

[brady61995]

im sure the peta website can get you in the right direction, animal rights are coming. there has to be a more humane way to deal with animals in the food industry as well as protecting domestic animals. all the serial k llers you hear about this is how they got thier start.

[Brendan H]

If I can do that every time you eat a hamburger, sure.

[Hugatreetoday]

I'm vegetarian my friend.

[clearpepsi]

ugh... what a looser and that poor cat, at least the cat didn't die thank goodness, poor thing, people are vile... there are a lot of low funtioning people out there that have free rane - so maybe he's one of those - you know like the people who did the abu grav pictures... people are vile...

[Brendan H]

You are totally correct. Vegans and vegetarians like me and you need to band together to stop this sort of thing. You are a vegan or a vegetarian right?

Because otherwise, I've got some bad news for you.

[T Specter]

Future Serial _Killer.

[v eyepete]

Love animals, don't bend, mutilate, or spindle them. I am happy the cat survived and the girlfriend knows what a mistake she made by letting this guy into her life.

[thrdr]

Yes I would think the relationship is pretty much over. I would hope so anyway, though it doesn't say that in the article here.

[gmlaster]

I had to go hug my two cat babies after I read this. I cannot understand how anyone could do that, especially to something as loving and wonderful as a kitten. My cats left the farm they were born on at six weeks old to come live with us. They were terrified and didn't know where their mother was, but all it took was about 20 minutes and I fell in love with both of them. I became their mama and I love them as much as my husband and son. They complete our family. I can't imagine life without them. If anyone EVER did this to either of my cats, I would want him dead. That guy is a 22 year old waste of life.

I've had friends who've had to put their pets to sleep because they were dying of cancer or some other disease, and it was like losing a child. Maybe some think putting a pet to sleep and what this guy did are the same thing, but it's not. It's like removing a loved one from life support and one of the hardest things you'll ever have to do. It's a loving thing you do to keep someone you love from suffering. But this man seems to think that taking life is fun.

This makes me hope that the near-death experience accounts are right. When you die, you have to see yourself hurting others and feel all the pain that you caused.

[MDfromMD]

I am reminded of the story out of Detriot where mom cat went back into a burning house several
times (I recollect it to be 8 times) to rescue her kittens. At the end she rescued all her kittens and
was badly burnt herself.

This cat showed more courage than the coward of this story who probably just wanted to feel
powerful at the cost of a helpless life.

Ah HUMANITY!!!!!

[Hugatreetoday]

There is very little that's humane about humanity my friend....

[BeansAndGreens]

Hugatreetoday,

As Cleveland Amory once put it: Man Kind?

I agree with everything you've written, though I think your suggested punishment for this creep was a bit too mild.

[GunneraGirl]

there's just so much i don't understand about people. how could someone do this? why? most people melt when they see a kitten with those big open eyes: what did that trigger in this man?

[Brendan H]

What triggers people to support a factory farming industry that treats billions of animals far worse every day?

[Mazzlefizz]

The answer is man's ability to not think about things that they don't like. I can't tell you how many times I try to describe factory farms to some people, and they simply say, "stop. I don't want to know." People just don't understand what kind of insane horrors routinely happen in factory farms to increase profits. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that these places make Hitler seem like a humanitarian. Even the milk and egg industry is incredibly cruel nowadays. People need to learn just how drastically the meat and dairy industry has changed in the last 50 years. It's shocking stuff even for people who don't have a moral issue with eating meat in general.

[sense oar sheep]

no, i didn't read the article

no, i will not read article

reading this headline is enough

[Michael Johns]

Just to let you know, sense-oar-sheep, the kitten survived the torture and hanging and the fella was charged with unjustifiable animal cruelty.

[peacekitten]

i am incredibly thankful that the poor kitten lived through it.

i don't know that i could be held responsible for my actions if someone did this to one of my cats. they would be lucky to get away with only getting the same as they dished out.

such people are in need of serious help, and i hope this girl throws him out before he tries doing the same thing to her.

[kitty3363]

cosign

[Aquilina]

I'm glad the kitten lived through it. If someone did this to my cat, he'd be lucky if all I did was kick him in the ba//s.

[colonpowwow]

So, you allow a poster to insult me by asking what rock I crawled from under, but when I reply in kind by thanking him for coming down from his high place to insult me rather than address my legitimate point - that doesn't get posted?

Some monitor you are.

If you're going to ban insults - how about being even-handed about it?

With respect.

C

[HekmabaJuzimax]

The monitor is software. It scans your post for certain words and phrases. If you eliminate spacing betweenWor­dsLikeThis­, you can even curseIf you wanted to.

[HekmabaJuzimax]

However, in blogs that are stamped "FULLY MODERATED", I suspectThey use humansFor that.
Use your judgement when posting. I've been caught numerous times, but here I still are.

[ittybittykitty]

Charge him with attempted murder. Really, I'm serious.

[CitizenRob]

It is a kitten, get some perspective.

[Over40]

No, YOU get some perspective.

[Aaira]

What a depraved, sick man. Animal cruelty laws should be much, much stronger than they are now.

[Brendan H]

Step 1: Get rid of factory farms.

[progressivelady]

just awful and cruel, did not need to read this before bed.