We are absolutely thrilled to report on the relatively rare strong sentencing of an Oklahoma man who was charged with animal cruelty for killing multiple kittens following other felony convictions.

District Attorney Craig Ladd prosecuted Jaquez Law, who “willfully and cruelly” killed at least four kittens by bashing their heads in. He was charged with animal cruelty, and pled guilty on October 13; he will be imprisoned for 12 years and is ordered to pay $1,151.

Thanks to In Defense of Animals supporters, we were able to send Ladd a letter with more than 13,000 signatures attached thanking him for taking this case seriously and asking him to present it to Judge Dennis Morris during the sentencing phase of Law’s trial.

The background of this case is that on March 8, 2023, Tiffany Goodrich called the Ardmore Police Department in Oklahoma to report finding two of her beloved cats dead on her porch. She believed she could identify the individual who trespassed on her property. Public Information Officer Captain Henry found the injuries to the cats to be disturbing.

Law was interviewed and denied killing the kittens, but confessed after Goodrich filed a protective order against him.

Sadly, this wasn’t the first time he had harmed cats. In May 2022, police discovered two kittens, one deceased, the other injured, in Law’s backpack. He was charged with two felony counts of animal cruelty. For this crime, Law received a trite sentence of just 90 days incarceration and five years on probation. Court documents state that Law has been diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Law has a history of altering a firearm serial number, petit larceny, disturbing the peace, domestic abuse: assault and battery, trespassing, assault and battery, unlawful possession of methamphetamine, malicious injury to property, and cruelty to animals charged in 2022, and 2023. From 2019 to 2023, Law was prosecuted for eight crimes.

While we understand that mental illness is a tragic condition that must be recognized and addressed by society, violent criminal acts must not be mitigated, especially when the individual is a repeat offender. 

We very much appreciate the efforts of all in Oklahoma law enforcement and members of the justice system who treated this disturbing case with the severity it deserves. Their actions bring a measure of justice for his victims and protect against future harm to both humans and other animals.

Please learn more about what we do and consider making a donation to support our work on this issue. Thank you for aiding our efforts to hold animal abusers accountable.