HOWELL – A local man was sentenced to 4.5 years for killing his cat Lilith with a sharp instrument and recording the death with photos and video.
Christopher Sanchez, 29, had pleaded guilty in December 2023 to third-degree Animal Cruelty by Unnecessarily or Cruelly Abusing a Living Animal, Resulting in its Death, and Simple Assault, a disorderly persons offense. The Simple Assault charge was filed because Sanchez physically attacked his roommate shortly after killing the cat.
Howell Police had found out about the incident on March 31, 2023, when they arrived at the home on an unrelated matter and found the body outside. He has been in prison ever since.
The judge ordered Sanchez to have no contact with the victim of the assault, never to return to the scene of the crime, surrender all of his privately owned firearms, and engage in 30 days of community service. He also received a permanent ban on owning or living in a residence with any pet or animal, and was ordered to pay $525 in restitution – to cover the cost of the necropsy that disproved his initial claim to authorities that the cat’s death was a mercy killing necessitated by her being mortally injured from being struck by a vehicle.
