Judge Angela R. Krom could have sentenced a Pennsylvania man who deliberately strangled two community cats to a combined seven to 14 years in prison. Instead, she imposed concurrent terms of only three to 23 months, allowing both felony sentences to be served at the same time.

Timothy William Samual Eyler pleaded guilty to two third-degree felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals causing serious bodily injury or death. Two misdemeanor cruelty charges were dismissed as part of the resolution prosecuted by the Franklin County District Attorney’s Office.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, Eyler admitted to killing two community cats during separate incidents. He reportedly said one cat was living around his apartment complex and that the second had given birth to multiple litters of kittens.

Eyler attempted to minimize his actions by claiming that he did not “brutally” kill the cats, but strangled them because he “did not know how to snap their necks.”

His own words describe deliberate, hands-on violence against two vulnerable animals who endured terror and prolonged suffering as they fought to breathe.

These were two cats. These were two lives. These were two separate killings and two separate felony convictions. Yet Judge Krom’s sentence failed to recognize them as two individual victims.

The Judge Could Have Required at Least Seven Years Behind Bars

Each felony carried a possible sentence of up to seven years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000.

Pennsylvania law did not permit Judge Krom to impose a seven-year minimum sentence for either felony individually because the minimum term cannot exceed half the maximum. However, she could have imposed a sentence of 3½ to seven years for each cat and ordered the two sentences to run consecutively. That would have produced a combined sentence of seven to 14 years, requiring Eyler to spend at least seven years behind bars before becoming eligible for parole.

Instead, Judge Krom sentenced Eyler to only three to 23 months for each felony and ordered the terms to run concurrently. Because the jail terms overlap, Eyler’s second felony conviction — and the life of the second cat — added no additional incarceration.

Judge Krom also could have fined Eyler up to $15,000 for each felony, for a total of $30,000. Instead, she imposed a fine of only $300 for each cat — just $600 in total.

Consecutive sentences would have recognized each cat as an individual victim whose life mattered. Judge Krom’s concurrent sentences instead gave Eyler the practical equivalent of punishment for killing only one.

Timothy Eyler was imprisoned from February 19 to May 19, just a 3-month sentence. That is not meaningful accountability.

The court also ordered mental health evaluation and treatment, drug and alcohol assessment and treatment, anger management, substance and firearm restrictions, and two seven-year prohibitions involving animals that will not run concurrently.

These safeguards are necessary, but they do not compensate for the appallingly limited period of incarceration. Treatment and supervision should accompany punishment and public protection, not replace meaningful accountability for two deliberate killings.

Prosecutors Must Explain Their Role

The Franklin County District Attorney’s Office must also answer for its role in this outcome.

The public deserves to know whether the district attorney’s office supported or negotiated the concurrent sentences and dismissal of the two misdemeanor charges, or whether Judge Krom imposed these terms independently.

Prosecutors may advocate for consecutive sentences that recognize each victim. They may also oppose plea terms and sentencing outcomes that allow multiple acts of violence to result in no additional punishment.

When prosecutors and judges permit sentences to overlap in cases with multiple victims, they send a devastating message that additional lives can be taken without additional consequences.

Nearly 10,000 People Condemn This Failure of Justice

In Defense of Animals launched an alert on March 13, 2026, calling for the maximum lawful penalties, mental health evaluation and treatment, and a lifetime prohibition on possessing, controlling, having custody of, or working with animals.

However, Eyler was sentenced on April 29, 2026, just 69 days after his arrest and before we were able to complete and deliver our petition.

We deeply regret that the signatures did not reach the Franklin County District Attorney’s Office before the case was resolved. We sincerely apologize to the 9,625 compassionate people who trusted us to convey their demand for justice while the outcome could still be influenced.

Although their signatures arrived too late to affect the sentence, the profound public outrage they represent must not be disregarded.

We have now delivered the petition as a formal record of the public’s disappointment. We have also requested an explanation of the prosecution’s role in the concurrent sentences and dismissal of the misdemeanor charges.

Every animal victim must be recognized. Every conviction must carry meaningful consequences. A person who deliberately takes two lives should not receive the practical equivalent of punishment for only one.

The lives of these two cats cannot be restored. The least the justice system can do is refuse to treat their suffering and deaths as inconsequential.

What You Can Do — Today

Please respectfully contact Judge Angela R. Krom and District Attorney Ian M. Brink. Express your disappointment and urge them to ensure every animal victim is individually recognized in future cruelty cases.

Contact Judge Angela R. Krom by Phone &/Or Letter

Call Judge Angela R. Krom
Phone: 717-709-7200

Please remain courteous. You can say:

“I am deeply disappointed that you imposed concurrent sentences of only three to 23 months after Timothy Eyler admitted to strangling two cats. He only served 3 months! You could have imposed consecutive terms totaling seven to 14 years, requiring him to spend at least seven years behind bars. By allowing the sentences to overlap, the second cat’s death added no incarceration. Please recognize every animal as an individual victim and impose meaningful, consecutive penalties in future cases involving multiple victims.”

Write to Judge Angela R. Krom

The Honorable Angela R. Krom
 Court of Common Pleas of Franklin and Fulton Counties
 Franklin County Courthouse
 157 Lincoln Way East
 Chambersburg, PA 17201

You may borrow from the phone call copy to compose your letter.

Write to District Attorney Ian M. Brink

Ian M. Brink is the Franklin County district attorney with jurisdiction over this case and the elected official responsible for leading the office that prosecuted Eyler.

He is ultimately responsible for the office’s prosecutorial priorities, plea practices, sentencing advocacy, and treatment of animal victims.

We call on District Attorney Brink to determine whether his office supported or negotiated the concurrent sentences and dismissal of the two misdemeanor charges, explain the prosecution’s position to the public, and establish a clear policy of seeking separate and meaningful accountability for every animal harmed or killed.

Future animal cruelty cases must not end with plea agreements or sentencing recommendations that allow multiple victims to disappear into overlapping punishment. District Attorney Brink must ensure that his prosecutors oppose concurrent sentences when they would erase individual animal victims and advocate for penalties that reflect every life taken.

Contact District Attorney Ian M. Brink by Phone, Email, &/Or Letter

Phone: 717-261-3827
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Email: ibrink@franklincountypa.gov

Mail:

District Attorney Ian M. Brink
Franklin County District Attorney’s Office
Franklin County Courthouse Annex
157 Lincoln Way East
Chambersburg, PA 17201

Please remain courteous. You can say:

“I am deeply disappointed that Timothy Eyler’s two felony convictions for strangling two cats resulted in concurrent sentences of only three to 23 months. Please explain whether the prosecution supported or negotiated the concurrent sentences and dismissal of the misdemeanor charges. He only served 3 months! In future animal cruelty cases, please oppose outcomes that erase individual victims and seek meaningful punishment for every life taken.”

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