This alert is no longer active, but here for reference. Animals still need your help.

A Mississippi teenager is facing multiple charges after killing his little brother and their family dog and setting their shared apartment on fire. Please urge the district attorney to seek maximum charges in this case.

On July 9, 2022, the Carroll County Sheriff's Department and Vaiden Volunteer Fire Department responded to a fire at an apartment complex in Vaiden. The fire department determined it was intentionally set, and deputies searched the apartment, finding the 6-year-old Orlando “King” Pittman's body stuffed in a closet.

It was determined he was killed before the fire by multiple stab wounds, and his dog had also been fatally stabbed.

Crimes like these don't happen in a vacuum. The connection between violence toward animal companions is closely connected to violence perpetrated on other family members. Animal cruelty must always be prosecuted, whether it's done by itself or alongside other violence.

Thomas Perry III, who was out on bond from a domestic violence incident that took place a month earlier, was taken into custody the next day and charged with first-degree murder, animal cruelty, and arson and is being held on a $1.2 million bond. He's expected to face the grand jury in May.

We also ask that he undergo mental evaluations and counseling and not be allowed around animals again, should he ever be allowed out of jail. Our letter with your signature will be personally presented to the district attorney by our Justice for Animals Campaign Senior Campaigner Doll Stanley.

This alert is no longer active, but here for reference. Animals still need your help.