13 Year Old Little Heart Kitten Killer Sentenced

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By Karen Harrison Binette

The boy who brutalized tiny Little Heart on May 28, 2011 was sentenced this week. Though a 9 year old hero stepped in, the kitten later died. A felony charge was dropped to a misdemeanor because Little Heart did not have a home; and the prosecutor who worked to find him guilty is of the mind that thugs and bullies need help, not punishment.

The young thug who brutalized a tiny, helpless kitten in broad daylight at a Suffolk, Virginia playground one day last May, and was found guilty in October, finally heard his sentence this week.

As many readers will recall, Jamarea Mills and his brother were playing with a tiny 7 week old kitten when a bully came along and snatched the animal away from them.  A group of children looked on helplessly as the 12 year old boy callously and viciously brutalized the kitten for fun. When the tormenter pulled out a pocket knife and announced that he was about to “cut” the kitten, 9 year old hero Jamarea was compelled to act. He knocked the knife from the bully’s hands and the kitten was spared. Animal control came and took the kitten to the shelter and he was placed in foster care.  Little Heart was rushed to the vet with breathing difficulties on the night of June 2, and died in the wee hours of the morning of Friday, June 3, the day he was supposed to go from foster care to his loving forever home.

Local authorities took the case seriously, investigated rigorously and followed through.  The then 12 year old was immediately charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty, pending necropsy results. When the post mortem examination determined that Little Heart died as a result of  the youth’s brutality, the charge was upgraded to a felony.  Before the case came to trial, however, the charge was again downgraded to a misdemeanor due to a point of state law: felony animal cruelty can only be charged when a companion animal is neglected, tortured or killed. Crimes against stray and  wild animals are misdemeanors.

The killer, whose name remains protected, was found guilty on October 18. The young witnesses and their families deserve great credit; their testimony was important to the case, and they appeared in court knowing they would have to continue living in the same community as the thug and his family going forward.

While the prosecutor praised investigators and commended the witnesses for helping to win the case, she appears to be of the helping sociopaths rather than punishing them school of  thought.  Susan Walton was quoted at the time saying “To be that cruel, what concerns me is that you need to evaluate why that would happen and hopefully get him some help.”  We were informed that the sentence would likely be “some form of rehabilitation or counseling” rather than punishment.

The court followed through, as expected, and the mandated outcome is as follows:  supervised probation, a mentoring program, therapy and a suspended 30 day sentence in juvenile detention.

And so it ends. As with every other successfully prosecuted case, there remains a letdown even thought justice has been served.  The one positive that could possibly come from this case would be if the residents of Virginia and their representatives decided that the life of a stray or abandoned, animal should have equal value with those who have homes and human families.

See more coverage at our index of Little Heart stories.

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0 thoughts on “13 Year Old Little Heart Kitten Killer Sentenced”

  1. YOU’RE KIDDING ME. I’m 11 and I’m head over heels for every animal.. Look at what the world has turned into! This is the exact reason I’m not a fan of people. It’s because they can be so cruel! That person should be ashamed and I hope he lives in jail! I’m so happy someone stood up for that poor kitten. Last year I wrote a note to the people who control the laws asking for stronger charges and jail sentences against animal abuse and then the laws were raised just last summer…I can never understand why someone would be that cruel! This is why more people should help out, stand up, and BE THEIR VOICE!

  2. I hope someone keeps watching this little thug. Odds are within ten 3 years he’ll be doing the same or worse to a human victim.

  3. What a bunch of you know what! This country is letting itself in for a rude awakening if crimes are not punishable. I hope that the prosecutor runs into a lot of trouble at thugs hands and then we will see if she thinks that they need help and counseling! What an idiot she is! Poor little kitty.

  4. I followed Littlehearts story from the very begining,and im really sad because it seems like he died in vain.It should just be that an animal whether feral, stray, homeless,or loved, each life is of equal value.Animal abuse is just that,what difference does it make if the animal being abused has an owner or home or not???This goes to show yet again that minors who commit atrocities against animals get off scott free,and grow up to be people like Michael Vick!!!!There is no justice here.DISGUSTING.

  5. Another cruel bully been allowed to hurt a beutiful animal he should be in prison for at least 2years poor little heart <3 safe over the rainbow bridge

  6. Emily, thank you for giving me faith in kids today, I had lost all hope there were good kids/people in this world. Our species is so cruel and indifferent it makes me sick. Humans never fail to disappoint me, NEVER!!
    I hope there are many more like you, the world would be a much better place. Keep up the good work, we appreciate it 🙂

  7. How is it possible that a child of only 12 has so much anger in them, where are the parents, what the HELL happened….Why beat on a defenceliss kitten that only wants to be loved and have child play fun, with any one or any animal that just wants to PLAY… Dam it makes my stomach hurt, and my heart….. Damm that kid, someone should play with him like that…. MEoW

  8. So-because an animal doesn’t have a home it’s open slather -you can inflict any form of cruelty ,it’s the act itself that is being questioned ,not to whom or what it is being done to,poor little baby,I can’t even imagine why anyone would want to be so cruel to a defencless kitten,perhaps he should be made to work with animals,it might change his attitude

  9. Parents need to be held accountable for their children. Maybe THEY should be the one’s to spend time in jail…sounds like a broken home or a broken means of communication between this ‘child’ and family. What a shame…it’s simply a reflection of what could transpire down the road though kids could be rehabilitated in one way or form. Perhaps a week volunteering for maximum security would set this kid straight!

  10. I know there is a special place in Bast’s Kingdom for the kitty who was so brutally tourtured…..but I hope there is just such a special place in HELL for this boys soul…where he suffers enternal horrors like he inflicted……better still as I believe in Reincarnation I really really hope this poor kitty’s soul is reincarnated quickly into someone or something that will tourture this boy NOW during his earth bound Life

  11. Jen-I’m in NC also and have heard of some horrific things and some wonderful things. I am not up to date on the legislation re. animal cruelty, but I do read in various papers about abusers being punished. Not strict enough…yet. Hope we get there soon.

  12. I totally agree with you Sharon, I couldn’t have said it any better. Bravo to you. All animals should be treated equally weather they have a home or not. All 13 of my kitty’s were orphans and I saved them all, now their both beautiful and loved. People who do these cruel things now at such a young age will in time do it again weather it’s animal or human, it wil happen. Their just mentally ill and need to be dealt with now. Take care and God Bless.

  13. Hate to break it to you Judy, but this kid is obviously a “sociopath”, and there is no “helping” him….. None of the drugs or treatments, found to date, have been able to cure or rehabilitate sociopathy……..

  14. The first question to ask is what the hell was a 12 year old doing with a pocket knife in the first place???!!! Rest In Peace Little Heart. Some humans love and care about you even though the government of Va. doesn’t!!!

  15. If that kid or any other person is caught abusing cats where I live then the next picture of him will be on a carton of milk.

  16. well said, i could not agree more. this kid needs its throat cut and his perents need sterilising.

  17. This sick creep of a human being needs to be in prison for years !!! What kind of parents does this pig have that would even raise a kid like this ??? There is no place on earth for these sick evil people. I hope that one day someone comes along and beats the living hell out of this worthless pig breathing air. How in God’s name can anyone harm a defenseless animal….a baby kitten ? Run free at the Rainbow Bridge little kitten…..makes you wonder what the creep has done to animals and not gotten caught ……..evil sick pig.

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