Pennsylvania woman charged with torturing, killing animals for YouTube audience
A southeastern Pennsylvania woman is facing multiple counts of aggravated animal cruelty after allegedly filming herself torturing and killing animals — and uploading the videos to her YouTube channel.
Authorities have accused 28-year-old Anigar Monsee of producing and disturbing at least four videos involving the killing of frogs, a rabbit, a pigeon, and a chicken. She was arrested on Friday and charged with four felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals, local television station WPVI reported.
The YouTuber began sharing the videos last year, according to the Upper Darby Police Department.
Monsee was arrested after representatives from PETA located her by gathering clues from comments left on her YouTube channel and from some of her videos. In one of them, she filmed herself giving a tour of her then-new house in Upper Darby, just outside Philadelphia.
Monsee confirmed to investigators she was the person in the videos — and became visibly upset when police played some of the footage for her.
According to investigators, Monsee would request “likes” and engage with YouTube viewers before she began torturing an animal. Some of the comments were sexually charged, NBC Philadelphia reported, citing an affidavit of probable cause filed for her arrest.
In one 49-minute-long video, Monsee is reportedly seen torturing a pigeon and cutting its head off — while viewers praise her in the comments section and make requests for future content, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
In some instances, Monsee allegedly mutilated some of the animals, even severing their necks with a dull knife, a process that would take several minutes, the affidavit states.
“It takes a cold, heartless person to harm the animals,” police superintendent Tim Bernhardt told the Inquirer, calling the case “disturbing and barbaric.”
Monsee is currently in custody on $20,000 bail. Her preliminary hearing is set for Feb. 5.
