HENRIETTA, N.Y. (July 15, 2026) — In Defense of Animals is strongly condemning the sentencing of Harold Larson, who was charged with aggravated animal cruelty for fatally kicking his girlfriend’s cat. 

On July 9, he was sentenced by Judge Robert Cook to just one year in jail, ordered to pay a civil judgment of $205, and banned from having an animal companion for only one year.

The charges stem from an incident on February 25, 2026, when Larson intentionally kicked his girlfriend’s cat, Rogue, with his work boot. The violent attack caused catastrophic injuries, and life-threatening respiratory failure requiring intubation and oxygen support, ultimately resulting in Rogue’s death.

Veterinary findings described in the record conclude that Rogue’s injuries were highly consistent with repeated blunt force trauma, indicating ongoing abuse, and were not consistent with accidental injury.

Such conduct falls squarely within New York Agriculture & Markets Law § 353-a, which recognizes aggravated cruelty to animals as a felony offense when a person intentionally causes extreme pain or death in a particularly egregious manner. Had Larson been prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, he could have faced up to  two years in jail and a fine of up to $5,000.

In Defense of Animals sent a letter to District Attorney Brian P. Green with 14,194 signatures urging maximum prosecution. The petition demanded the maximum prison time and fines, mandatory psychological evaluation or anger management counseling, in addition to, and the maximum animal-access restriction permitted by law — a lifetime ban from harboring, residing with, or having custody or control of any animals.

“It’s appalling that the court only banned this offender from keeping animals for a single year after such a brutal act of violence. Larson should have served the full term available and been required to pay a substantial fine. Offenders who intentionally kill an animal should face a lifetime ban,” said Doll Stanley, In Defense of Animals’ Justice for Animals Senior Campaigner.

“Cases like Larson’s have the hallmarks of coercive control and psychological terror,” said Marilyn Kroplick, M.D., a board-certified psychiatrist and President of In Defense of Animals. “When an abuser intentionally tortures and kills his partner’s beloved companion animal, it is rarely an isolated incident — it is a calculated method to manipulate, traumatize, and exert power over the victim. Research consistently shows ‘The Link’ between acts of animal cruelty and escalating human violence. An attack on a woman’s companion is a glaring red flag for severe domestic violence and a broader public safety threat. By handing down such a lenient sentence, the court has dangerously underestimated a highly volatile offender.”

A strong legal response reinforces that deliberate violence —  whether directed at an animal or used as a psychological weapon to terrorize a partner — will be treated with appropriate seriousness under the law. It deters future acts by demonstrating meaningful consequences, supports early intervention in behavior that may otherwise escalate, and affirms public confidence in the justice system’s ability to protect the vulnerable.

CONTACT: Doll Stanley, doll@idausa.org, (662) 809-4483

In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization with over 250,000 supporters defending animals, the environment, and their guardians through education and campaigns, as well as hands-on rescue facilities in California, India, South Korea, and rural Mississippi, since 1983. www.idausa.org/justice4animals

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