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Cat Killer Could Face Longer Sentence
By
Ben Muessig
Published Nov 3, 2009
Modified Nov 3, 2009
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By
Ben Muessig
Published Nov 3, 2009
Modified Nov 3, 2009
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A judge overthrew a plea deal offered to suspected feline arsonist Cheyenne Cherry yesterday, potentially extending the prison sentence for the 17-year-old who is accused of killing a kitten by baking it in a 500-degree oven. According to the Post, "Judge Margaret Clancy, who had earlier approved the plea deal, said 'nobody realized' at the time that reducing a violent felony charge to a nonviolent charge was illegal."
While Cherry already pleaded guilty to burglary and animal cruelty charges in exchange for a one-year sentence in July, prosecutors are now pushing for two years behind bars in exchange for a guilty plea. Cherry's lawyer, Danielle Follett, claims the prosecution's efforts to land a longer sentence are a nod to the animal-rights activists who have been protesting in front of the courthouse — a group that Cherry once taunted. "They are succumbing to public pressure," the attorney said. The Bronx teen is due back in court on Dec. 2.
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