Picture after picture showed blood stains on the walls of the Freemansburg apartment, where Deater had slammed the cat's body. There were more blood stains in the bathroom, and a bathtub full of the cat's black fur, where Deater told police he had dunked the pet because it didn't like water.
Other photos focused on the cat's carcass, showing it still wet, bones protruding from its body, its stomach burst from the impact of the blows it suffered. One of the cat's eyes was knocked out of its socket, Northampton County Assistant District Attorney Richard Pepper said.
Pepper showed those pictures in court Friday as Deater faced sentencing for animal cruelty, for a beating that the prosecutor said demonstrates "just what type of person" the 24-year-old Bethlehem man is.
"This is an evil, vicious person," Pepper told Senior Judge Leonard Zito. "I can't imagine a more brutal and vicious killing of an animal than what happened by this man's hand."
Though Deater's defense attorney argued that he is a troubled and misguided man who needs treatment, Zito said he agreed with Pepper's darker assessment. Zito sentenced Deater to state prison, where he will serve 16 months to 22/3 years on the cruelty case and a separate conviction for criminal mischief.
"Mr. Deater is a person who is simply not in control of himself and unfortunately committed these heinous acts," Zito said.
Early July 7, Freemansburg officers were called to Deater's former home on Ramblewood Lane to find that he had killed the 1-year-old cat belonging to his then-girlfriend, Adriana Marques.
The cat's body was lying on the living room floor, and Deater was packing his clothes to leave, police said. He admitted the abuse to officers, saying the cat had scratched him, police said.
Earlier that night, Marques and another woman had gone out, leaving Deater alone at the home. He later sent them a text message saying he had injured the pet.
"[Expletive] you. [Expletive] your cat that attacked me," Deater wrote, according to Pepper.
"He had took the cat and slammed it against every sharp corner in that place," Pepper said. "Every one."
Deater pleaded guilty in December, when his lawyer, Christopher Spadoni, said his client had "blacked out" during the assault. Spadoni repeated that in court Friday, Deater's mother flanking him in support of her son.
Spadoni said he disputed Pepper's characterization of Deater as "evil." Deater told Zito that he can recall coming home that night, getting scratched, and nothing more until he woke up on the bedroom floor.
Spadoni said he has known Deater's family for four decades, and Deater since he was born. He said Deater has a past with drugs that contributed to what happened. Deater could use help, and not in state prison, Spadoni said.
"Mr. Deater appears to be in need of psychological services," Spadoni said.
Zito noted that it wasn't Deater's first run-in with the law. Deater has had problems with drugs since he was a juvenile, and regular criminal convictions since 2009, Zito said.
"I view Mr. Deater in a very different light," Zito told Spadoni.
Deater pleaded guilty in his criminal mischief case in September. It stemmed from a prior incident at the Ramblewood Lane apartment.
On April 30, Freemansburg police charged Deater with roughing up a roommate, smashing her cellphone and throwing her belongings outside — where he sprayed them with shaving cream, according to court records.
Under Zito's sentence, Deater will be on probation for three years once he completes his prison time. He'll also owe $2,610 for damages to his roommate's belongings.
(McCall.com - Jan 15, 2016)
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