El Paso man arrested for animal cruelty allegedly fatally stabbed, ate cat's intestines
An El Paso man is accused of killing a cat, ripping it open and eating its intestines in a grotesquely bizarre case of animal abuse.
Krystopher Nathan Torres, 21, was arrested Thursday, July 19, on suspicion of cruelty to non-livestock animal in connection with the gruesome killing of a cat in a parking lot located at 3000 Douglas Avenue, El Paso Police Department officials said.
Court records state Torres is being represented by the El Paso County Public Defender's Office.
“Mr. Torres has been in jail for a week, being held to account for a crime he hasn’t even been charged with, nor have we been presented with any evidence, whatsoever," El Paso Public Defender Kelli Childress said. "My concern right now is for the rapidly diminishing presumption of innocence in our justice system.”
Childress declined to comment on any health issues, if any, Torres may be suffering from related to the cruelty charge.
Torres allegedly admits to biting cat, eating intestines
Officers responded to an animal cruelty report about 12:50 p.m. July 17 in a parking lot. They met with an El Paso Animal Services Protection officer already at the location, a complaint affidavit states.
The animal protection officer told police an unknown man was seen stabbing a cat and eating it. The cat was placed in a black plastic bag and inside a trash dumpster by employees of The Junction Brunch House, 3001 Pershing St., the affidavit states. The animal services officer took the cat out of the dumpster and placed in his service unit.
Police officers met with The Junction Brunch House manager, who reported the incident. The manager said a customer told him a man was stabbing the cat and eating it in the parking lot.
The manager told the customer not to go outside because the man did not look well and had an unknown weapon, the affidavit states. The manager called 911. Torres left the parking lot minutes later.
More: El Paso man arrested for murder in fatal shooting after large South-Central fight
Police were notified Torres was arrested on suspicion of theft of a vehicle and was taken to Del Sol Medical Center after being involved in a car crash, the affidavit states. The affidavit does not state Torres' injuries.
Officers found the intestines of the cat in the middle of an entrance to the parking lot. Officers found the cat's head had been crushed and its body ripped open, the affidavit states.
Torres was released from the hospital and taken to the police department's Central Regional Command Center, 200 S. Campbell St.
He told officers he had left his grandmother's house for a walk. He allegedly admitted he saw the cat and, "for unknown reasons stepped on the cat's tail with his left foot," the affidavit states. He allegedly stomped on the cat's head four times with his right foot.
More: FBI links pair to deadly Salt Fire near Ruidoso, New Mexico, documents reveal
Torres said he stole a screwdriver from workers at a construction site in a nearby alley. He told officers he used the screwdriver to stab the cat and ripped open the cat's body with his hands, the affidavit states.
He was then placed in a holding cell, where he told an officer he had eaten the cat's intestines and took four bites of the cat, the affidavit states.
Torres was arrested on suspicion of cruelty to non-livestock animal. He was booked Thursday, July 18, into the El Paso County Jail on a $100,000 bond, jail records show. He has yet to post bail and remains jailed as of Wednesday, July 24, jail logs show.
A bond hearing requesting for Torres' bond to be reduced was held Saturday, July 20. The request to lower the bond was denied by an El Paso magistrate judge, court records show.
Aaron Martinez may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com or on Twitter @AMartinezEPT.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso man arrested for animal cruelty killed, ate cat
