Ashley Nichole Richards pleaded guilty to three counts of animal cruelty in Houston, Texas, Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson announced on Thursday morning.
She created as many as 27 'crush' videos between February 2010 and August 2012 and was eventually stopped after PETA discovered the footage and alerted the authorities.
After her arrest in 2012, prosecutors said she tortured a puppy, kittens, a rabbit, mice, a pigeon, fish, lobsters and crabs using high heeled shoes, a meat cleaver, knives, screwdrivers and pliers.
A graphic statement from PETA at the time revealed that she had often killed up to two animals a day, including a kitten who was bound with masking tape before being stomped on with a high heel that went into its eye.
Another video shows her using a meat cleaver to cut off a puppy's leg, PETA said.
She allegedly filmed the videos with the help of Brent Justice, 52, who is also charged with animal cruelty.
They would then give the videos to people who were sexually aroused by the treatment, prosecutors said, the Houston Chronicle reported.
'When a person tortures and kills an animal, that raises a red flag about that person’s capacity for violent behavior in general,' District Attorney Devon Anderson said, News92 reported.
'It will always be a priority for our office to aggressively prosecute offenders who abuse animals.'
The case is the first time anyone has been prosecuted for 'crush' videos in Harris County.
'While we are satisfied that the defendant received the maximum penalty in these cases,' Anderson said. 'We will fight at the next legislative session to increase the punishment range for this offense to better protect these animals and all citizens of Harris County.'
Stephanie Bell from PETA added: 'Given the undeniable link between cruelty to animals and interpersonal violence, the community at large is safer when convicted abusers such as Richards are behind bars.'
Some charges in the case were dismissed last year because a federal judge dismissed the statue as overbroad and a violation of their First Amendment rights. Four months later, prosecutors filed an appeal.
'As with child pornography, it is necessary to dry up the market in animal crush videos, which have little if any social value, in order to effectively prevent the criminal acts that necessarily occur when the videos are produced,' prosecutors had claimed, the Houston Press reported last year.
Justice is being held in the Harris County jail in lieu of $50,000 bail.
(Daily Mail - May 29, 2014)
Earlier:
Lock them up and throw away the key. People like this are a danger to everyone around them, they're sick and they will never get better.
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