19-Year-Old Asbury Park Man Sentenced To State Prison For Sexually Torturing And Killing Pet Cat Last Year

Sunday, June 16, 2024, 4:30 P.M. ET. By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

FREEHOLD, NJ.- Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago reported, that a 19-year-old Asbury Park, New Jersey man has been sentenced to five years in New Jersey State Prison for the sexual torturing and killing of his pet cat in March 2023.

     Bani J. Mezquititla, 19, of Asbury Park, was also ordered to pay restitution for the cost of the cat’s necropsy and comply with the court’s order that permanently bans him from ever owning, living with, or having custody over any animal, according to the terms of the sentence handed down during Thursday’s hearing before the Honorable Chad N. Cagan, Judge of Monmouth County Superior Court.

     The sentence stems from an investigation that unfolded in March 2023, when a concerned neighbor brought the body of a dead cat to the Asbury Park Police Department.

     Members of the Asbury Park Police Department and the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Humane Law Enforcement Division, quickly determined that the cat had belonged to Mezquititla, who first performed sexual acts on the cat, seriously injuring it. Mezquititla later restrained and tortured the cat, resulting in the cat’s death.

     Mezquititla was located and taken into custody the same day the investigation was initiated.  He was then remanded to the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, where he remained detained pending future court proceedings.

      Mezquititla appeared in Monmouth County Superior Court in April 2024 and pleaded guilty to third-degree Animal Cruelty by Tormenting, Torturing, or Unnecessarily or Cruelly Abusing a Living Animal Resulting in its Death; and third-degree Animal Cruelty by Using or Causing or Procuring the Use of an Animal in Any Kind of Sexual Manner.

     “It is virtually impossible to conceive of an instance of animal cruelty reflective of greater depths of depravity than this,” Prosecutor Santiago said. “Thanks to a diligent investigation and prosecution, yesterday’s sentencing marked one of the most substantial criminal penalties for an offense of this nature ever seen in the State of New Jersey. It is the maximum sentence one can receive under the law. We strongly feel that this outcome serves the interests of justice, and hope that the numerous individuals from across the country who have reached out urging us to win justice for Ellie are similarly satisfied.