Camrose cat killing

The Camrose cat killing was a highly publicized microwave-based animal cruelty case in Canada. On December 29 and 30, 2007, four males (three aged 15 and one aged 13) broke into and vandalized a residential dwelling in Camrose, Alberta, while the property owners were out of town. The youths vandalized the residence on both nights, and on December 30, 2007, killed the family cat, Princess, by placing her in a microwave oven. One or more of the youths wrote, "You HAD a nice cat - look in the microwave!" on the interior walls or windows of the premises.

In January, 2008, the four youths were arrested and charged with unlawfully killing an animal, unlawfully causing pain or suffering to an animal, break, enter and theft, mischief, and possession of stolen property. Because all four accused were under 18 years of age when the offences were committed, publication of their names in Canada is prohibited under Canada's Youth Criminal Justice Act.

The case generated tremendous public outrage in Camrose and the surrounding area, as well as elsewhere in Canada and the world. The names of the four accused were posted on the social networking sites Facebook and Nexopia, together with calls for vigilante justice against the accused. Many of these postings were later taken down. When one of the accused appeared in court for a bail hearing on January 17, 2008, a number of protesters were in attendance.

During the January 17 court appearance, lawyers for both the Crown prosecutor and the accused sought an order banning the public (other than the news media) from attending the bail hearing, with the Crown lawyer arguing that, "While the press can report responsibly, it's already been shown the public cannot." The request was turned down by Judge Janet Franklin, however, who held that "It's a cornerstone of justice in Canada that the courts are open to the public"

Two of the accused appeared in Camrose court on June 4, 2008 where they changed their plea to guilty after a last-minute agreement with the Crown. In an agreed statement of fact, read in court, the teens described how Princess the cat had screamed for 10 minutes in the microwave before succumbing. Sentencing is set for next month.

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