MERIDEN, Conn. — A Meriden man has been arrested and charged with animal cruelty. He’s accused of brutally killing a neighbor’s cat.
Eighteen-year-old Carmello Roberts is facing a felony charge. He was just arraigned Thursday in Meriden Superior Court.
FOX61 went back to the apartment where it allegedly all took place, in a yard on Springdale Avenue in Meriden, where police say ‘Noodles’ met a malicious end.
“I mean, this is disgusting,” remarked Korolina Suscal of Wallingford.
A water bowl still sits undisturbed near what appears to be a cat bed and not far from the apparent blood stains that still smear the siding.
“I was horrified at the brutal violence and description of what happened,” said Zilla Cannamela, president of Desmond’s Army Animal Law Advocates.
FOX61 knocked on the door of both the cat owner and alleged killer. No one answered either, but the newly obtained court documents speak for themselves. They describe how Carmello Roberts allegedly “whacked the cat with a big knife”…”punched the cat with brass knuckles” and “smashed the cat’s head with a bowling ball”…texting his friends “the eyes popped out” and that he “enjoyed it.”
“Animals deserve to live and need to be treated with respect just like a human being,” remarked Suscal, who was walking with her best friend, a dog named Benny. “Truly, I can never believe ever harming him or anybody ever harming him. I would protect him at all costs,” said Suscal.
Police say Noodles, the eight-month-old gray tiger domestic shorthair cat, lived in apartment ‘C’, while the alleged cat killer lived just feet away in ‘B’. The deadly encounter happened around Feb. 25 when Noodles escaped the safety of his apartment…his remains were discovered just over the fence.
“The fact that it was admitted to that the person actually did it and enjoyed it. It’s simply horrifying,” remarked Cannamela.
The warrant goes on to detail how police encountered Robert’s grandmother, who said she, “would not be surprised if (Roberts) committed this act.”
The killing of Noodles is the fifth known violent death of a pet in Connecticut this year. The animal advocates of Desmond’s Army tell FOX61 that animal abuse can often be a precursor to crimes against humans. They plan on showing up the next time Robert’s appears in court on June 28.
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Matt Caron is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at mcaron@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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