NY Man Sued For $2 Million For 'Torturing, Mutilating, Murdering' Former Friend's Pet Cat
A New York City teacher residing on the Upper East Side of Manhattan has filed a lawsuit against a former college friend for allegedly "torturing, mutilating and murdering" her cat, a 3-year-old Siamese named Cassie, amongst other crimes.
According to the suit, in May 2012 Jessica Barrish had invited a group of friends over to her apartment to celebrate her 29th birthday. Later in the night the group left the apartment to continue the celebration elsewhere. However, Joseph Ari Chiesa, who had attended Wharton College with Barrish, stayed behind unnoticed at the young woman's apartment.
The suit alleges that after the group left Chiesa proceeded to slam Cassie against furniture and windows in Barrish's apartment multiple times, fatally injuring the animal.
When Barrish arrived home early the next morning," "she found a paper towel covered in blood, a pair of pajamas which was spotted with blood and blood spattered on the walls of the apartment and on the living room couch...Cassie hid in the corner of [Barrish's] bathroom and died of her injuries," the court document alleges.
Chiesa is also accused of smashing up furniture in Barrish's apartment and stealing a $3,000 tennis bracelet.
Barrish has filed the $2 million lawsuit against Chiesa citing property damage and mental suffering, claiming she has "flashbacks from the scene and nightmares about it virtually every day since." It's also reported that she is seeking a restraining order against Chiesa.
Chiesa pleaded guilty in Manhattan Supreme Court to aggravated animal cruelty charges in October 2012 and was sentenced to and served four months in jail for this incident, according to the New York Post.