We’re very disappointed to share the bad news that a woman, Eternea Williams, who maliciously trapped a neighborhood cat in Brandon, Mississippi, then encouraged her dogs to attack the crated cat has escaped any true measure of justice. 

In Defense of Animals was represented in court for the appearance of Eternea Williams, aka TeeDy Williams, after a nearly two-year mission to see her prosecuted.

It began in September of 2022 when we offered a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a woman who posted videos of herself abusing a crated cat and encouraging her dogs to attack and kill the cat. Initially, the district attorney said the case couldn't be prosecuted with weak reasoning used, but we didn't give up and persisted until we secured a change of heart.

The prosecution of the woman who captured a neighboring cat in a crate, videoed herself telling her dogs, “Tonight we feast!” while she asked if they wanted a thigh or a leg, who continued tormenting the cat, and who finally released the cat for the dogs to kill has been challenging.

Williams pleaded guilty at the arraignment and got a mere $500 fine and a six-month suspended sentence on the condition she completes a moral turpitude course at her own expense. She also has to pay court costs.

A live video posted to TeeDy Williams’ Facebook page displays her pleasure while tormenting a crated cat, who she admitted in court to keeping in the crate for two days. After making the heartless comments about the cat to her dogs, Williams continued to kick the cat’s crate around on her porch. After inciting and teasing her dogs, she released the cat who ran for shelter under a bench but was mauled by her dogs. At the request of a viewer, she posted a picture of the mangled cat.

Learning of this video, we first had to establish the jurisdiction of the crime. Williams was associated with multiple addresses and aliases. It was finally established that Williams resided in Pelahatchie. Our Justice for Animals Senior Campaigner Doll Stanley engaged the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department in the prosecution of the case. 

District Attorney John K. Bramlett, Jr. determined that he could not prosecute Williams with felony animal cruelty because he determined the cat was not “domesticated” and had no guardian. 

Stanley responded by filing evidence of criminal wrongdoing in a police report with the Pelahatchie Police Department, but it was virtually ignored.

Rankin County Sheriff’s Investigators John Burt and Eric Mallery then worked to address the earlier mistake by aiding Stanley with filing a criminal affidavit with the Rankin County Justice Court. 

Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Blake Alan Cauthen resubmitted the case to Bramlett, but he again refused to prosecute Williams under the Dog and Cat Pet Protection Law.

Cauthen had an Animal Control Officer file an affidavit with the Justice Court under the county ordinance which carries little hope of dissuading such malevolent behavior. However, we are pleased she was ordered to complete a course addressing immoral behavior. 

Sen. Angela Hill, who has supported Mississippi’s Dog and Cat Pet Protection Law for years, has since confirmed in writing that “domesticated” in the state statute delineates between domesticated animal species and wildlife. 

Stanley presented the district attorney with this information and scientific material confirming that the domestic cat is a species with three categories, “inhouse, free-roaming, and feral.”

Bramlett has been provided with overwhelming evidence in support of criminal charges, including legal and scientific information, multiple submissions of criminal evidence, nearly 14,000 letters of public support for a criminal prosecution, and testimony from the sheriff’s department, prosecutors, and a senator. However, Bramlett continues to obstruct full justice instead of pursuing it.

“This offender filmed their own malicious and sickening crime and posted it to social media. It is extremely worrying that enforcement should not pursue a criminal case handed to them on a plate. This ruling is a slap in the face to vulnerable members of the local community who have been left unprotected since the link between violence to humans and violence to animals is well-documented. Thousands of animal advocates who wrote letters calling for a strong conviction are furious about this ruling. Aggravated cruelty to cats or dogs became a felony 13 years ago and was recognized as a first-offense felony for each dog or cat harmed per incident in 2022. It is disheartening to fight for justice not against criminals but for the justice system to recognize its own laws and general knowledge that house cats are a domesticated species, whether they’re in-home, free-roaming, or feral. Law enforcement does not have the right to pick and choose which laws to enforce. A society cannot tolerate a justice system that misinterprets hard-won laws passed to protect people or animals from the fear of mortal harm.” 

-Doll Stanley

“TeeDy” has public profiles on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, where she identifies herself as “E” and introduces her dogs Emylee and Olaf.

We continue to push for strong prosecution in cases like this, and despite this maddening setback, have generally seen a trend toward stronger sentencing emerge. Please take a moment to learn more about what we do and consider making a donation to support our work. Thank you for caring and also for sharing our content.