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Hung Jury in Cat Killer Case
By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 26, 2008
Modified Sep 26, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 26, 2008
Modified Sep 26, 2008
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After five days of deliberations, the jurors in the animal cruelty trial of a man who killed his girlfriend's cat could not reach a verdict, so the judge ended the trial by declaring a hung jury. Joseph Petcka, 205 pounds, claimed that 7-pound, declawed cat Norman attacked him so he defended himself, but the prosecution contended that Petcka was jealous of the cat. The feline was fatally beaten and had multiple broken bones, broken teeth, a lacerated tongue and a chest full of blood (Petcka admitted he overreacted). The former minor league baseball player-turned-actor was facing up to 2 years in prison if found guilty (the jury had to determine whether there was justifiable reason for him to act this way).
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animal cruelty
cat killer
hung jury
joseph petcka
jury
Norman the cat
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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