Justice was served for an animal victim of cruelty this week when Richmond County District Attorney Michael E. McMahon announced that Tryike Richardson has been sentenced to 15 months in jail for torturing his neighbor’s cat, Chester, and abandoning the poor animal in a garbage can. Richardson filmed the violent incident and later posted the video to his Facebook® page. Officers from the NYPD’s Staten Island Gang Squad saw the disturbing video, and were able to not only rescue Chester from the trash can and get him safely to the ASPCA for treatment, but were also able to arrest Richardson.  

Richardson pled guilty to aggravated animal cruelty, and on top of his jail sentence, he is banned from possessing animals for 10 years, he must register with the NYC Animal Abuse Registry, and he must pay a judgment order in the amount of approximately $8,000 to the ASPCA.

“Not only did this defendant mercilessly torture an innocent animal, but he showed off his sick and twisted actions by posting video of the incident to Facebook®,” said McMahon. “My office will not tolerate this type of disturbing and criminal behavior, which is why we initially created an Animal Cruelty Prosecution Unit to hold these individuals accountable. We will continue to work together with our partners in the NYPD and ASPCA to ensure animals are protected and that those who choose to do them harm are arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

On that fateful day in June, when Chester was first examined by an ASPCA veterinarian, it was noted that the resilient cat’s injuries included blunt force trauma, a collapsed lung, rib fractures, contusions on the ear, broken teeth, liver and kidney injuries, head trauma and severe muscle injury. Though his injuries were extensive, under the care of the ASPCA, Chester was able to make a full recovery and is currently being cared for in a loving home.

“Chester experienced pain and suffering at the hands of an individual who then heartlessly left him for dead in a garbage can,” said Howard Lawrence, Vice President, ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement. “Thanks to the NYPD’s swift response and thorough search, Chester survived his traumatic ordeal. The ASPCA commends the Richmond County District Attorney’s Office for securing justice in this case and once again proving there is no place in New York City for animal cruelty.”

As we continue with our partnership with the NYPD, we hope that successful cases like this one show abusers everywhere that not only will we not tolerate cruel, violent acts against innocent animals, but we will also do everything we can to ensure that justice is served.