06-14-2009, 10:49 PM
Suspect arrested in cat killings; teen lived in Palmetto, Cutler Bay area
go to miami herald for details.
An alleged cat killer's own social networking attracted detectives from three agencies who on Sunday arrested an 18-year-old and said he killed and mutilated more than a dozen cats and terrorized pet owners in South Dade.
Tyler Hayes Weinman, whose divorced parents live in Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay, where the horrific cat killings occurred, faces 19 counts of animal cruelty, 19 counts of improperly disposing of an animal body and four counts of burglary.
Weinman, who recently attended Miami Palmetto Senior High, was led away from a Coral Gables house party minutes after midnight Sunday by undercover officer who had him under surveillance for weeks. He barely spoke a word, police said.
The clean-cut Weinman flashed a smug smile for his mug shot, taken when he was booked in jail Sunday.
Weinman attorney, David Macey, said his client is innocent. Weinman is expected to be arraigned on Monday. His bail has been set at $154,500.
Weinman had recently joined Facebook group named ''Catch the Cat Killer!'' which had more than 1,000 members. The administrators of the group attended Palmetto High, like Weinman.
At a morning news conference, Cutler Bay, city and county leaders thanked police and the community for helping end the killings, which had filled cat lovers in the area with fear for their felines.
Miami-Dade Commissioner Katy Sorenson, who represents the area where cat owners have struggled for weeks to keep their felines out of the path of a serial killer called the suspect ''twisted and depraved, somehow really not right as a human being.'' ''Thankfully, for this community, the terror has come to an end,'' Sorenson said.
Palmetto Bay Mayor Eugene Flinn said a motive is hard to fathom: ``No one here can get in the head of a person capable of such a heinous act.''
Still left unexplained are 15 other cat deaths in the area that police have not tied to Weinman, which may have been committed by dogs.
At the morning news conference, Miami-Dade Police Maj. Julie Miller assigned to Cutler Bay said investigators tracked Weinman through tips from the community and postings on YouTube, Facebook and MySpace.
''What led to the arrest is the community talking and bringing us information,'' Miller said.
She said Weinman killed 19 cats ''based on a totality of circumstances'' and added the investigation is still ongoing and may stretch to other jurisdictions.
Police say that Weinman -- whose mother once led Crime Watch in her old Palmetto Bay neighborhood and whose stepmother owns several cats -- used tools to slice open cats' bellies and gut them, often throwing the carcasses in front yards where they were found by horrified pet owners.
In the first case in May 10 - Mother's Day - two cats were sliced open and left on a front yard. One of the animals was ''posed'' for shock effect, according to a police report.
''These awful scenes inflicted a great human toll,'' said Cutler Bay Mayor Paul Vrooman.
The teen knew well the streets he targeted. Weinman's father, Douglas, is a dentist. His mother is a life coach and lives in Whispering Pines, a community where the killings began.
His parents could not be reached for comment Sunday.
The teen had apparently come under police scrutiny a few weeks ago. Police would not elaborate what type of posting or even if they were made by Weinman or someone else led them to Weinman.
He had been questioned by police the night of the Palmetto High prom. A spokesman for Miami-Dade schools said Weinman had not graduated from the school. Court records show that Weinman was also arrested May 29 for possession of cannabis.
go to miami herald for details.
An alleged cat killer's own social networking attracted detectives from three agencies who on Sunday arrested an 18-year-old and said he killed and mutilated more than a dozen cats and terrorized pet owners in South Dade.
Tyler Hayes Weinman, whose divorced parents live in Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay, where the horrific cat killings occurred, faces 19 counts of animal cruelty, 19 counts of improperly disposing of an animal body and four counts of burglary.
Weinman, who recently attended Miami Palmetto Senior High, was led away from a Coral Gables house party minutes after midnight Sunday by undercover officer who had him under surveillance for weeks. He barely spoke a word, police said.
The clean-cut Weinman flashed a smug smile for his mug shot, taken when he was booked in jail Sunday.
Weinman attorney, David Macey, said his client is innocent. Weinman is expected to be arraigned on Monday. His bail has been set at $154,500.
Weinman had recently joined Facebook group named ''Catch the Cat Killer!'' which had more than 1,000 members. The administrators of the group attended Palmetto High, like Weinman.
At a morning news conference, Cutler Bay, city and county leaders thanked police and the community for helping end the killings, which had filled cat lovers in the area with fear for their felines.
Miami-Dade Commissioner Katy Sorenson, who represents the area where cat owners have struggled for weeks to keep their felines out of the path of a serial killer called the suspect ''twisted and depraved, somehow really not right as a human being.'' ''Thankfully, for this community, the terror has come to an end,'' Sorenson said.
Palmetto Bay Mayor Eugene Flinn said a motive is hard to fathom: ``No one here can get in the head of a person capable of such a heinous act.''
Still left unexplained are 15 other cat deaths in the area that police have not tied to Weinman, which may have been committed by dogs.
At the morning news conference, Miami-Dade Police Maj. Julie Miller assigned to Cutler Bay said investigators tracked Weinman through tips from the community and postings on YouTube, Facebook and MySpace.
''What led to the arrest is the community talking and bringing us information,'' Miller said.
She said Weinman killed 19 cats ''based on a totality of circumstances'' and added the investigation is still ongoing and may stretch to other jurisdictions.
Police say that Weinman -- whose mother once led Crime Watch in her old Palmetto Bay neighborhood and whose stepmother owns several cats -- used tools to slice open cats' bellies and gut them, often throwing the carcasses in front yards where they were found by horrified pet owners.
In the first case in May 10 - Mother's Day - two cats were sliced open and left on a front yard. One of the animals was ''posed'' for shock effect, according to a police report.
''These awful scenes inflicted a great human toll,'' said Cutler Bay Mayor Paul Vrooman.
The teen knew well the streets he targeted. Weinman's father, Douglas, is a dentist. His mother is a life coach and lives in Whispering Pines, a community where the killings began.
His parents could not be reached for comment Sunday.
The teen had apparently come under police scrutiny a few weeks ago. Police would not elaborate what type of posting or even if they were made by Weinman or someone else led them to Weinman.
He had been questioned by police the night of the Palmetto High prom. A spokesman for Miami-Dade schools said Weinman had not graduated from the school. Court records show that Weinman was also arrested May 29 for possession of cannabis.