Prosecutor: Area Teen Indicted on Charges He Tortured, Sexually Abused & Killed His Cat

An area teen has been indicted on charges that he tortured and killed his cat in March, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced on Monday.

Bani J. Mezquititla, 18, has been indicted on the charges of: animal cruelty by tormenting, torturing, or unnecessarily or cruelly abusing a living animal, resulting in its death, and animal cruelty by using or causing or procuring the use of an animal or creature in any kind of sexual manner, both third-degree crimes.

Convictions on criminal charges of this nature can be punishable by up to five years in state prison. This case has been assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutors Keri-Leigh Schaefer and Sevan Biramian.

The case background …

An investigation into Mezquititla’s activities was initiated on Thursday, March 2, when a concerned citizen brought the body of a dead cat to Asbury Park Police Department headquarters.

Members of that agency and the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Humane Law Enforcement Division determined that the cat had belonged to Mezquititla, who allegedly first performed sexual acts on the animal, seriously injuring it. He is also alleged to have later restrained and tortured the cat, resulting in its death.

Mezquititla was located and arrested later on the same day the investigation was initiated, then transported to the Monmouth County Correctional Institution (MCCI).

He remains incarcerated there as the case has progressed, as a motion by the state to keep him detained was granted.

Anyone with information about this matter is still urged to contact Asbury Park Police Detective Anthony Houlis at 732-502-4582, SPCA Chief of Humane Law Enforcement Michael Goldfarb at 732-542-0040, or SPCA Lt. Michael Magliozzo at 732-440-4538.