PENNSYLVANIA -- A 20-year-old Haverford woman was sentenced to four years and three months of probation Thursday after pleading to animal cruelty charges for cutting the ears off of a pit bull puppy.
Kristina Murphy, of the 400 block of Glendale Road, entered open pleas before Judge James Nilon to two misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty, one for each ear, and a summary count of animal cruelty for neglecting to provide veterinary care for the 8-week-old puppy.
The case made headlines in October 2013 when Murphy brought the wounded pup to the Stoney Creek Veterinary Hospital in Morton claiming to have found it abandoned near 69th Street in Upper Darby.
She later admitted to Delaware County SPCA humane investigators that she (according to her) accidentally cut one of the dog’s ears off while using scissors to remove scabs and flea bites on the dog’s head, then panicked and cut the other one off.
“I wrapped his head so the bleeding would stop,” said Murphy in a statement at that time. “I said I found him so he could get medical care that I could not afford.”
The investigators later removed another 10 animals under Murphy’s care. Humane Investigator Ron Riggle told the judge Thursday that those animals were mostly well cared for and that Murphy had brought the puppy to Stoney Creek at the urging of a local animal activist.
The puppy, dubbed Van Gogh, was later adopted by Jennifer Johnson, a doctor at Stoney Creek. Johnson could not be reached Thursday, but a receptionist at the hospital said Van Gogh has since grown up happy and healthy.
Defense attorney Joseph Malley offered the court a 15-page report Thursday documenting mental health issues his client has dealt with since childhood and said she is currently taking medication used to treat depression, anxiety and other disorders.
“It’s very clear from that report that Miss Murphy would not be a good candidate to be incarcerated,” he said. “Her mental health issues ... might well result in what the doctor referred to as ‘decompensating’ and it could bring up a myriad of issues that the prison would be ill-equipped to deal with.”
Assistant District Attorney Alan Borowsky said he understood Murphy’s mental health history and that sentencing guidelines provided only restorative sanctions to one month for each of the misdemeanor charges, but said he could not get past the fact that Murphy needlessly and maliciously mutilated a companion animal.
“It takes a certain amount of depravity to be able to do that — just as much as to do that to a human, if not more, and it’s very concerning,” he said.
Borowsky said he not seen an act of barbarity that comes close to this case in his four years with the Delaware County District Attorney’s office, recommending a sentence of two to 23 months incarceration with 90 days of probation.
Nilon noted that the report documented a long history of mental health issues stemming from trauma the defendant received as a child and outlined two potentially adverse outcomes if incarcerated: That Murphy, now five months pregnant, might harm herself (and by extension, the fetus), or that she could join with the worst elements of the prison population to seek protection.
“Most of us are animal lovers,” he said. “Most of us own an animal — I have three — and the only thing an animal provides is unconditional love. Therefore, when we see an animal subjected to this kind of treatment, it’s very troubling.”
“I know what I’ve done and I’m sorry for doing it,” said Murphy. “When I did it, I wasn’t on medication. I wasn’t in treatment. I’m now in treatment and I’m doing a lot better.”
The judge ultimately decided incarceration would not be appropriate and opted for a lengthy period of probation with strict conditions that Murphy not own any animals or even have contact with animals whatsoever. He also ordered her to continue with her treatment, abide by any recommendations and continue taking medication.
“You’re very lucky, young lady, to escape a term of imprisonment,” he said. “You have psychiatric issues that need to be dealt with. You have in place a good program and as long as you follow those recommendations, then hopefully you won’t appear in front of this court again.”
The judge warned Murphy not to violate the terms of her probation, however, or she could be facing jail time.
She is a menace and will do this again.
(Delco News Network-Sep 27, 2014)
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