** WARNING: There is a graphic photo of the cat at the end of this post **
MISSOURI -- The case of two 18-year-old Branson men accused of dragging a “scared” kitten to death with a Jeep has horrified people across the country.
Jordan Michael Derek Hall and Kyle Wayne Williams were charged this week with animal abuse and armed criminal action. Hall was named as the driver of the vehicle and told police he knew it was “not right,” according to police.
Williams also allegedly posted online a video of the torture, which took place Thursday. It has since been removed. The video showed people laughing as the cat “tossed and turned” behind the Jeep.
Public anger about the case helped police find Williams, according to the Springfield News-Leader.
Members of a private Facebook group called Cellulites: Salvation were furious after he allegedly posted a photo of himself next to the tortured, bloodied kitten, one eye popped out of its head, the newspaper reported.
The caption allegedly read, “Try to guess how I killed my cat, bet you can’t.”
The News-Leader reports that members of the group across the country were so outraged that some worked hours to track down information about Williams through his social media activities. They even tried to reach his family and friends.
“He posted it in the wrong group,” one group member wrote. “About a hundred of us immediately started reporting him to whoever we could get hold of. Animal cruelty is not okay.”
Tips and phone calls poured into Branson police, city spokeswoman Jennifer Langford told the News-Leader.
Court documents allege Williams tied a rope around the cat’s neck and then to the bumper of the vehicle, according to the Branson Tri-Lakes News.
Someone in the back of the Jeep filmed the cat running behind the vehicle “until it couldn’t run anymore,” the court statement says. The cat continued to be dragged, even after it was dead, while people watched and laughed.
The News-Leader and Tri-Lakes News reviewed the video of the brutality.
The Tri-Lakes News reports that the cat was dragged for about five minutes. Twice the Jeep stopped but then kept going because the cat wasn’t dead yet.
One person in the Jeep can be heard yelling: “Keep going. Don’t stop. He’s almost dead.”
Williams and Hall are in the Taney County Jail. Authorities say more people could be charged.
(Kansas City Star - June 8, 2017)
Earlier:
- Missouri: Court documents reveal horrific torture death of cat by accused killer, 18-year-old Kyle Williams (and Jordan Hall, 19)
- Missouri: Internet sleuths tipped off police about accused kitten torture killers
Newer:
