Mississippi: Jody Cothron, 39, charged with beating a cat to death, had earlier sought kittens online

MISSISSIPPI -- A screenshot of a social media post submitted to The Clarion-Ledger shows that a man charged with going into an animal rescue league and beating a cat to death has, in the past, sought kittens.

Jody Cothron, 39, was charged with animal cruelty after police say he is the man who walked into the Brookhaven Animal Rescue League and beat a cat to the point of death.

BARL president Lu Becker told the Brookhaven Daily Leader that the man came in Friday and asked to see the cats. He was allowed into the cat room, and while usually there would be an attendant on hand, they were all out chasing a dog that had gotten loose.

After Cothron left, a caregiver went in to tidy up the room, Becker said, and found blood around the room and a plastic stick that appears to have been used to hit the animal. The cat named TILLY was in her kennel, barely breathing.

Tilly was taken to the veterinarian, where she died.

RIP Tilly

The veterinarian told The Daily Leader it looks like Tilly was stomped during the attack.

In January, Cothron was on Facebook asking where he could find kittens.

"Does anybody have or know where any kittens are for sale or to give away?" he asked in a "friends only" post. A screenshot of the post was submitted to The Clarion-Ledger by a reader.

Cothron faces a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge. He is charged with aggravated animal cruelty, which carries a possibility of up to six months in jail and a fine of $2,500.

(The Clarion-Ledger - April 19, 2016)