In mid-March, a man entered the Brookhaven Animal Rescue League shelter in Mississippi with a motive that is the nightmare of shelter caregivers. He asked to see kittens, but the kittens were unavailable at the time. The visitor was shown to the cat room to see the adult cats, including Tilly, a little gray cat whose guardian had sadly passed away. The shelter attendant excused herself to aid a dog, but when she returned, the visitor was already on his way out of the shelter. The attendant wasn’t concerned since the man had specifically asked to see kittens.

But on entering the cat room, the attendant was mortified to find Tilly lying lifelessly on the floor, blood around her, with a broken plastic stick nearby. Sadly, Tilly didn’t survive the brutal attack.  However, her attacker was caught on video, identified, and arrested.

On very short notice, 31 animal advocates from far and wide showed up at the Brookhaven Municipal Court House in Lincoln County to hold a candlelight vigil for Tilly on the day that her killer, Jody Cothron, was arraigned on a misdemeanor charge for mortally injuring her.

Despite shelter video showing Cothron as the only person to enter or leave the cat room during the attendant’s absence, Cothron entered a plea of “not guilty.” He was charged under § 97-41-16  Maliciously Injuring Dogs or Cats, a first offense misdemeanor  described as, “If a person with malice shall intentionally torture, mutilate, maim, burn, starve or disfigure any domesticated dog or cat, or cause any person to do the same.” This is a crime that carries a maximum fine of $2.500 and “not more than” six months in jail.

At Cothron’s arraignment hearing, Judge Brad Boerner sternly cautioned Cothron to retain an attorney and pointedly instructed him regarding the crime he was charged with and the severity of the penalties.  There was no doubt the judge took this case very seriously.

However, the real question is whether Cothron will take the case seriously. Reportedly, Tilly is not Cothron’s sole victim.   Brookhaven Animal Rescue League representatives are hard at work persuading witnesses  to come forward with their accounts of Cothron’s penchant for brutality.

In Defense of Animals’ Justice for Animals Campaign and our advocate friends throughout Mississippi will tirelessly hold vigils and appropriate events to keep the pressure on lawmakers, legislators and council people alike until Mississippi’s laws and verdicts reflect the contempt real Mississippians have for any form of cruelty.

Cothron’s  trial is set for June 28, 2016.