A concerned and outraged reader got in touch with us to describe a horrific encounter with a cat killer living in the neighbourhood..
According to our reader, the cat on the picture is over 10 years old and at least 3 kittens from her last litter have been killed and thrown in the draveway by the neighbour on the street, who owns the property at 670 East 178th Street or Oakland Place, between Crotona Avenue and Belmont Avenue.
Our reaader’s phone calls to the ASPCA have remained futile. The owner of the house, a black male in his 60’s, told our reader he will kill the rest ofthe cats as he did not want to see our reader around any more. When our reader told him it was a crime to kill a cat, he responded he did not care.
Two of the bodies were removed before our reader could get a camera, but they managed to take the body of a third one and freeze it in their home as evidence to this ongoing brutal crime.
Based on a most recent update provided by our reader, the ASPCA has dismissed the case. Apparently the officer was more “sympathetic” with the alleged killer than with our reader, to the point he implied our reader was lying. All that despite the fact that the alleged killer has a profile with ASPCA from back in 2008.
The name of the officer who handled and closed the case is John De La Torre.
John De La Torre is a Special Agent for Humane Law Enforcement at the ASPCA. Agent De La Torre joined the organization in May 2001.
Prior to joining the ASPCA, Agent De La Torre was employed as a veterinary assistant in Roslyn, NY. In 1999 he earned an Associate’s Degree in graphic design and advertising from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.
Agent De La Torre currently lives in Queens with a rescued Pit Bull named Wednesday.
“I always loved working with animals and wanted to be part of an organization that helped them,” says De La Torre. He could be reached at 212-876-7700 ext. 4460. ASPCA’s website could be accessed here.
We hope that the local authorities come to their senses, and revisit the case.