Punishment for not cleaning room.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: A 71-year-old grandmother from Madison County, Illinois, has been put behind bars after admitting she killed her granddaughter’s cat and four kittens after her grandchildren failed to clean their rooms.
According to local Fox affiliate, KTVI, the 13-year-old granddaughter opened the household freezer on Monday evening in search of a snack only to make the horrifying discovery that her beloved pet was dead inside of the freezer. The young teenager immediately texted a relative, who duly called the police.
When a deputy responded to the home, located in the 5000 block of West Victor Drive in Godfrey, Ill., he asked the youngster what happened to the cat, at which point her grandmother, Josephine Bell, 71, chimed in, reported KTVI. She nonchalantly informed the deputy she had killed the cat and its four kittens.
Bell attested she told her grandchildren that they would lose their animals if they didn’t clean their rooms, and because she felt she should not have to look after the pets, she killed them all with a hammer.
“Without a substantial criminal history, she likely could be looking at probation and fines for this case,” Captain Mike Dixon of the Madison County Sheriff’s Department told KTVI. “But hopefully it brings about a change in demeanor, and this kind of behavior doesn’t happen again for the benefit of these children, is what ultimately I think most of us would hope for,†he surmised.
Meanwhile, Bell has been charged with a felony count of aggravated cruelty to animals and remains in custody at Madison County Jail on $15,000 bond.
Bell informed authorities the kittens had been thrown away and the deputy could not locate them, according to KTLA of Los Angeles. An officer with Godfrey Animal Control was summoned and retrieved the dead cat.