The media New vat reported that the Montreal Municipal Court sentenced a man in his 20s to 16 months in jail for the murder of a cat and dog.
Marc-Antoine Côté, 24 years old, had previously admitted his guilt for two charges related to the intentional death of two animals late last year. He had been in custody for 8 months.
Last November, the Montreal SPCA revealed the story of the 9-month-old cat that Marc-Antoine Côté had killed in March 2022 by throwing it from the second floor of his building.
The animal was discovered in the snow on the accused's property. A witness informed authorities of the situation. The man allegedly abused the cat all evening, hitting it and throwing it against a concrete wall.
"He picked up the cat and threw it from the second floor with such force that it landed on a car in the street. He heard the noise. He went to pick her up and tried to revive her. He placed the cat in the freezer. It is not known if the animal was already dead at that time," said Chamie Angie Cadorette, of the Montreal SPCA's investigation department.
Dog locked in a garbage bag
In addition to the cat, a dog was discovered in a trash can in September 2022. The autopsy of the animal showed that it had suffered numerous abuses, including fractured ribs. However, according to the judge, it was impossible to determine the exact cause of death of the animal.
"The defendant will admit to 'snapping', those are his words of course, not mine, losing control and then putting the dog in a garbage bag, while she was probably still alive, because she was making noises with her mouth, he says, without showing any empathy," said Judge Caumartin.
This was not the first time he had abused an animal, as he had already taken the life of another animal before.
In addition to the sentence, a three-year probation period with several conditions is imposed, as well as a lifetime ban on owning animals.
"The court considers that in order to determine an individualized sentence, appropriate to the penalties imposed in similar cases and proportionate to the seriousness of the acts and the high degree of responsibility of the defendant, the criteria of specific deterrence, reprobation, education and protection of society must certainly prevail," said Judge Julie Caumartin.
