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Alleged Cat Killer a Big Loser Says Prosecutor, Stating Obvious
By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 23, 2008
Modified Sep 23, 2008
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By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 23, 2008
Modified Sep 23, 2008
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In her closing arguments yesterday, prosecutor Leila Kermani told jurors that alleged cat killer Joseph Petcka, a retired minor league baseball player and sometime actor, is just a "washed-up, never-made-it-to-the-big-leagues athlete" and a "D-minus" actor. On Friday the 6'2" Petcka testified that Norman, the name of his then-girlfriend's 7-pound neutered and de-clawed tabby, "came and lunged at me, throwing me on my butt on the coffee table. Norman was biting into my hand." While he admitted to kicking Norman "hard," his lawyer insists "it was a tragic accident. It was not intentional." But Kermani showed jurors a photo of Norman wearing a Christmas bow and, sarcastically referring to the cat's teeth as his "fangs of fury," asked them, "How can this, knock over that?" The jury begins deliberations this afternoon; Petcka faces up to two years in jail if convicted in the animal cruelty case.
Tagged
andrea peyser
animal cruelty
cat
cat killer
joseph petcka
Norman the cat
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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