A man who slowly burned a trapped raccoon to death in his backyard was sentenced to just six months in jail. Despite pleading guilty to animal cruelty charges and facing up to seven years behind bars, Andrew Chieu will serve only a fraction of that time—and walk away with probation.

In December 2023, a neighbor in Quincy, Massachusetts, heard terrifying screams and discovered a man holding a caged raccoon over a fire. That man was Andrew Chieu, and what he did was nothing short of torture. He was arrested the same day.

Andrew Chieu was sentenced on March 24, 2025, in Norfolk Superior Court by Judge Michael Doolin. He pleaded guilty to two counts of animal cruelty. Yet despite the horror of his actions, Chieu was sentenced to only six months in jail, followed by two years of probation. He is also barred from possessing animals during that time.

We submitted a letter with 12,357 signatures of In Defense of Animals supporters calling for maximum sentencing and mandatory mental health evaluation and prescribed treatment. Yet the punishment handed down by Judge Michael P. Doolin at Norfolk County Superior Court sends the dangerous message that horrific violence toward animals is somehow tolerable.

What happened was not an act of mercy, self-defense, or confusion—it was cold, calculated cruelty. Chieu admitted to burning the raccoon because there were "too many animals in his garden" and claimed he “had done nothing wrong.” The female raccoon was still alive after her ordeal and was rushed to the New England Wildlife Center, where dedicated staff tried everything to save her. But her injuries were too severe, and she died.

She suffered immensely. And we are left asking: Why is that not enough to warrant the full penalty allowed by law?

Chieu could have faced up to seven years in prison and a $5,000 fine, but he received just a fraction of that. While we are sickened by the outcome, we take a sliver of solace knowing that he will serve time, however brief, and face the judgment of a deeply compassionate public.

We must continue to push for stronger sentencing in animal cruelty cases. The legal system cannot claim to abhor violence and then hand out slaps on the wrist for heinous crimes. Animals suffer. They feel fear. They deserve protection.

Judge Michael P. Doolin is the Regional Administrative Justice for Norfolk County Superior Court. You may contact him to politely voice your displeasure with his sentencing here:

Norfolk County Superior Court

• Address: 650 High Street, Dedham, MA 02026

• Phone: (781) 326-1600

• Fax: (781) 326-3871

• Email: Norfolk.clerksoffice@jud.state.ma.us

• Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM

Thank you to everyone who took action by signing our petition. Your voices matter. Let’s keep raising them until no act of cruelty goes unpunished.

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