Kitty killer bakes Tiger Lily at 500 degrees

A person that can cause harm to an animal is sickly disturbed. There are laws protecting helpless animals and in the case of a Bronx teenager, we should be glad they are enforced. Cheyenne Cherry is currently in jail facing charges for felony aggravated animal cruelty, criminal trespass, arson and burglary.

The situation started on May 6 and ended in a brutal burning of a young kitten. That day Cherry and an undisclosed 14- year-old friend trespassed and broke into an old roommate’s (possibly an old girlfriend’s) apartment in Mott Haven. The apartment belonged to Valerie Hernandez. While in the apartment the two friends destroyed everything.

According to reports, the 14-year-old then put the small kitten belonging to Hernandez into an oven set to 500 degrees. Cherry had told Judge Margaret Clancy during her hearing that she, “didn’t let the cat out.”

The two friends then decided to leave the apartment because “they didn’t want to hear the dying cat’s cries or desperate scratching at the oven door” according the authorities and reported by The New York Daily News. They took food and DVDs with them on their way out.

Obviously, the act of not only destroying the apartment and hurting the young animal shows their lack of morality, but their decision to steal while the kitten was in the blistering oven confirms it.

Tiger Lily, the young kitten, was found burned inside the oven and was reported to have died a slow death. The fire department was called by the neighbors after smoke and fire was reported coming from the apartment.
Details were not disclosed as to how Cherry had broken in. Information
wasn’t provided as to why these teenagers wanted to attack Hernandez’s kitten.

It seems that this 17-year-old has a history with violence, including an
attack previously against a small animal. Sometime last year she had taken a BB gun to a woman’s head to steal a Teacup Yorkie with her boyfriend.

But Cherry doesn’t only want to affect animals, she held a man at gunpoint to steal his iPod from him. Details weren’t provided as to the outcome or punishment to either situation.

This unbalanced child had told police that killing the kitten was “just a joke.” Although, there doesn’t seem to be anything humorous about this situation.

In response, animal rights activists have been busy going to extreme lengths to give Cherry a deserving punishment. A petition signed by 20,000 people was presented in supporting a harsh discipline. They also appeared at her hearing holding signs in protest. In response to an activist’s comments Cherry retorted “It’s dead, bitch!”

In court she had a guilty plea in her six- count indictment. She was given a plea deal because her much younger cohort was a cause of the problem too.

She waived her right to appeal and was given jail on probation. Her punishment is to receive a year in prison and cannot own a pet for three years. The court sentencing will be on July 31, 2010.

Sharen Tuerlings of Levittown, L.I., one of the demonstrators outside the hearing, showed up to see Cherry in court. She was quoted The New York Daily News as having said, “It felt so good to look at her ugly face. Those evil eyes that she has.”

Because there were no details exposed as to why this crime occurred, it seems that the punishment is not quite fitting to the crime. Animal activists are glad she will be doing jail time for her actions.

The three year time frame of her not being able to own an animal is scary. After her year in jail, and her three years of not allowed to own a pet, this 17-year-old will still be young. The capability of her to make irrational decisions might carry over into adult hood, maybe even get further reinforced behind bars.

It’s dramatic to say that she might turn to hurting people, but animal cruelty is a severe warning sign. This shouldn’t become an instance where in the future, it’s looked back upon and known that violence could have been avoided.

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), under New York State law, Cherry is considered an adult and can be convicted of all charges both prior and present. As a result, the teen can possibly face up to a ten-year sentence in prison.