Honorable Michael J. Obus of the New York Supreme Court and the Manhattan District
Attorney's Office:
I am deeply concerned about the case of Sean Lynde, a Manhattan man who methodically
killed girlfriend Rachael Strate's four cats. Animal
torture and murder are serious crimes that demand your utmost deliberation.
In October 2008, Lynde allegedly poisoned Cleo, whose body was found with a mouthful
of detergent behind a dryer. He bludgeoned Zoe so
severely, a veterinarian euthanized her. Reports indicate Strate next adopted kittens
Willie and Betty. Within a month, Willie was fatally crippled
and Lynde claims Betty "fell off a countertop" to her death. After Strate brought
home two more kittens, one named Emo vanished and Bonafide
turned up with a broken neck.
Lynde seemingly derives pleasure from prolonged suffering — as further evidenced
by past charges for crippling a kitten and instigating
a sixth cat's disappearance.
I urge officials to levy the maximum felony penalty of four years in prison for six
counts of aggravated animal cruelty and to seek the full
misdemeanor sentence for harassment and stalking charges related to ex-girlfriend
Strate. Please ensure Lynde undergoes extensive
psychological evaluation and is barred from possessing or living with animals.
Violence against animals is a well-documented precursor to violence against humans.
Indeed, Lynde already vented rage on Strate in March
when he reportedly struck her Apple Macbook so hard, the computer cost $800 to
repair.
Repeat animal attacks suggest a predatory style that is a sign of "organized and
premeditated violence against others," says Dr. Randall
Lockwood, an animal behaviorist with ASPCA Anti-Cruelty Initiatives who consults with
cruelty investigators, law enforcers and mental health
professionals.
Prolific murderers such as the Boston Strangler, Son of Sam, Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted
Bundy practiced on animals before graduating to humans.
Dennis Rader, notorious for the Bind-Torture-Kill murders in Wichita, Kansas,
confessed to strangling cats and dogs before his sadistic spree.
Men prosecuted for animal cruelty are five times as likely to be arrested for other
violent crimes, claims Utah State University professor Frank
Ascione.
I implore New York courts to recognize the gravity of animal cruelty crimes. Sean
Lynde needs rehabilitation and incarceration. Please do not
release a sociopath back into our society.
Thank you,