WE WERE MURDERED!
|
|
 |
$4000.00 Reward
| Sometime between 4pm & 8 am Tuesday morning, Oct. 26th, 2004, a person, or persons broke into the outdoor cat pen and brutally beat these loving, innocent animals to death. They did not deserve this!! They didn't do anything to anybody, this was suppose to be a SAFE haven for them until they found a home. Benjamin was 5 years old, Claudius was 2, LeCat was 3, and Fiesty was only a baby, 12 weeks old. We must find out who did these horrendous acts of violence! Please if you have any information call the Shelter 845-496-6199 or the Blooming Grove Police 845-496-9161. The Humane Society of the United States has posted a $2500.00 reward and the N.Y. State Humane Association has posted $500.00 and an additional $1000.00 has been posted for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for killing these 4 Innocent cats. |
UPDATE
|
March 23, 2006. The men that police say are responsible for the October 2004 deaths of three adult
cats and one four month old kitten were finally charged today. An Orange County Grand Jury indicted Michael Melfi, 18, Terry Ayres, 19 and Michael Barnhoft, 20, on 4 counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and third degree burglary. We praise the Blooming Grove Police Department for their vigorous investigation of this matter and now it's up to the court to try this case and mete out the punishment it deems fit. These were our animals, still loved and missed, and we expect nothing but Justice for them! We thank you for your interest and continued support! HSBG Board of Directors |
|
June 27th, 2006 Michael Bornhoft could spend up to seven years in prison when he is sentenced August 18th for breaking into an animal shelter and killing 4 cats. An Orange County Jury convicted Bornhoeft, 20, a former Humane Society employee, on Friday on felony charges of burglary, 4 counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and criminal mischief, as well as criminal trespass, a misdemeanor. Bornhoeft and accomplice 19 year old Terry Ayers, of Vails Gate, broke into the Shelter in October 2004 and killed the cats. Blooming Grove Police say the two were joined by 18-year old Michael Melfi of Blooming Grove. The trio was arrested in March 2006 after a lengthy police investigation. Ayers pleaded Guilty May 31 to third degree burglary and agreed to testify against Bornhoeft. He is scheduled to be sentenced july 18. Melfi is awaiting a jury trial. his next court date is July 24. |
|
August 18 2006 Man gets maximum for animal cruelty A Blooming Grove man got the maximum sentence this morning in Orange County Court, for breaking into the Blooming Grove Humane Society's animal shelter and torturing, beating and killing four cats in October 2004. Michael Bornhoeft, 21, will serve 2 1/3 to seven years in state prison on felony charges of burglary and aggravated animal cruelty. A jury convicted him on June 23rd, after a week-long trial before Judge Nicholas DeRosa. "This kind of thing is startling", DeRosa said as he imposed the sentence, "because so many studies have shown that if you have this kind of behavior in your past, this rage, this kind of behavior could be turned against humans next time." |
|
September 19th, 2006 A jury yesterday convicted an 18-year-old Washingtonville man for his role in the slaughter of four cats at the Blooming Grove Humane Society's animal shelter in 2004. The Orange County Court jury convicted Michael Melfi of all the charges he faced: felony counts of third degree burglary and aggravated animal cruelty, and misdemeanor counts of fourth degree criminal mischief and third degree criminal trespass. The verdict gives prosecutors a clean sweep of the case. Michael Bornhoeft, 20, of Blooming Grove, who once worked at the shelter, was tried, found guilty and got the maximum sentence of 2 1/3 to seven years in state prison last month. Terry Ayres, 19 who pleaded guilty and cooperated with prosecutors, will be sentenced on Sept. 26. Melfi will be sentenced next month. |
|
September 28th, 2006 Terry Ayres got his reward Tuesday in Orange County Court for testifying against his fellow cat killers: a lighter sentence. Ayres, 19, of Vails Gate, was sentenced to one to three years behind bars after pleading guilty to a single felony count of third-degree burglary this summer. His two accomplices in the 2004 burglary and cat-killing spree at the Blooming Grove Humane Society were convicted after trials this summer. Michael Bornhoeft of Blooming Grove got the maximum sentence of 2 1/3 to seven years for burglary and aggravated animal cruelty. Michael Melfi of Washingtonville faces the same when he's sentenced November 3rd. |
|
December 6, 2006 The Victims were cats, not people. But crushing and torturing them is the kind of crime that shocks the conscience, Orange County Court Judge Nichilas DeRosa said yesterday. That's why he sentenced Michael Melfi, a skinny, baby-faced 19-year-old from Washingtonville, to the maximum for his role in the cat-killing rampage at the Blooming Grove Humane Society's animal shelter. After a trial this summer in Orange County Court, a jury convicted Melfi of Burglary and aggravated animal cruelty, felonies, and criminal mischief and criminal trespass, misdemeanors. He was sentenced yesterday to 2 1/3 to seven years in state prison. The judge handed down the same sentence in August to 21-year-old Michael Bornhoeft, who also took part in the 2004 rampage. The third culprit, 20-year-old Terry Ayers of Vails Gate, caught a break after he pleaded guilty to burglary and testified against Bornhoeft and Melfi. Ayers got 1-3 years in prison. DeRosa pointed out that a jury convicted Melfi, but he refused to take responsibility yesterday for the crime. " It does shock the conscience," DeRosa said. " It is an appalling display of violence, even though it wasn't directed at human beings." Melfi plans to appeal. " I'm sorry for what happened, but I don't deserve this, Your Honor, " he told the judge. His lawyer, Alan Joseph, asked DeRosa to sentence Melfi to probation. "The defendent maintains his innocence. I don't think he should be punished for that," Joseph told the judge. DeRosa observed that Melfi's already had a break. In 2005, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assult and got 3 years' probation. The case was sealed because Melfi was treated as a youthful offender. He also spent a year under supervision in Family Court. After court, his father, who's name is also Michael, called the sentence "over the top." |
|
|
