{"id":8277,"date":"2018-11-16T10:40:46","date_gmt":"2018-11-16T18:40:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/animalliberationpressoffice.org\/NAALPO\/?p=8277"},"modified":"2018-11-22T10:48:02","modified_gmt":"2018-11-22T18:48:02","slug":"cat-killers-released-on-bail-defense-says-dog-did-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/animalliberationpressoffice.org\/NAALPO\/2018\/11\/16\/cat-killers-released-on-bail-defense-says-dog-did-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Cat Killers Released On Bail, Defense Says Dog Did It"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Diana Starr, Contributions By Davin Eldridge |\u00a0Trappalachia<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n

Editor\u2019s Note: A short video of Wednesday\u2019s court proceedings can be viewed at the bottom of the page.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Developments in the high-profile case of an alleged ritual cat killing took center stage in Buncombe County District Court this week.<\/span><\/p>\n

The release of Instagram photos of a mutilated cat\u00a0led to the arrest of three individuals late last month. Those defendants appeared in court on Wednesday.\u00a0The case gained widespread attention by area news outlets in recent weeks throughout Western North Carolina due to the horrific allegations faced by the defendants.<\/p>\n

Widespread outrage within the community brought two dozen representatives of Asheville Cat Weirdos\u2014a local group dedicated to the celebration of all things feline\u2014to the courtroom. Also in attendance was the family of the deceased cat, \u201cKitty\u201d; Melissa and Aaron Naster.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n

\"\"According to authorities, Jace Lee Greene, 28, Shariah Jessamyn Metzger, 26, and Zackery Eugene \u201cSpoons\u201d Greene, 30, who is not in custody, are believed to have ritualistically tortured, killed and mutilated Kitty.<\/p>\n

Clues to how the defense of the accused might shape up were revealed during Wednesday\u2019s pretrial hearing. Over the objections of the defense, District Court Judge Calvin Hill continued the cases until Dec. 11 and changed the bonds of Metzger and Greene from secured to unsecured, adding three release conditions.<\/p>\n

Metzger and Greene have been held in custody since Oct 28, on misdemeanor charges of improper burial of an animal and instigating animal cruelty. Both defendants were being held on $20,000 secured bond until Greene\u2019s bail was reduced by Judge Hill to $2,000 secured on Nov. 8, while Metzger\u2019s remained at $20,000 secured. The alleged killing occurred on Oct. 24.<\/p>\n

Buncombe County Assistant District Attorney Jeremey Ingle asked the court for a one-month continuance, citing the case\u2019s ongoing investigation regarding the current charges against the defendants. Metzger\u2019s defense counsel, Michael Casterline, and Greene\u2019s defense, Michael Macht, both objected.<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cSpoons\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Audible gasps from the courtroom could be heard when Casterline stated that a dog killed Kitty and \u201cit would be difficult for the state to prove either of these charges.\u201d Casterline went on to argue that his client was being held on an \u201cextremely high bond\u201d compared to the relatively minor offenses, Class 1 and Class 3 misdemeanors, she is charged with.<\/p>\n

With no prior convictions, Casterline argued that his client wouldn\u2019t be facing an active sentence and stated that, even if Metzger pled guilty, she would walk out of custody and be on probation at worst, or out on time served.<\/p>\n

Macht argued that the case was originally charged as a state ordinance violation and his client has been in custody for more than 2 weeks while investigators looked to add even more charges. He stated, \u201cMy client unfortunately remains in custody despite the fact that the DA\u2019 s office was kind enough to relay to us today that again this was an animal that was killed by the hands of another animal, so it was killed by what the necropsy results turned out by a dog.\u201d<\/p>\n

Judge Hill granted the state\u2019s request for continuance, adding that since neither of the defendants have any prior convictions, and since it\u2019s unlikely that they\u2019ll do any jail time, he could not justify keeping Greene or Metzger in custody any longer\u2014even if Greene gets convicted on pending assault charges from Mecklenburg County.<\/p>\n

Along with unsecured bonds, the court issued the defendants additional supervision orders; a direct assignment to pre-trial release, that they have or possess no animals, have no contact with any animals, and that they abide by a 7 p.m. curfew. According to arrest records, the\u00a0defendants have no listed addresses and are essentially considered transients\u2014 a stipulation which puzzled many in the courtroom, as it\u2019s not clear how the state will ensure their compliance.<\/p>\n

After the hearing, Trappalachia caught up with Kitty\u2019s family member, Aaron Naster, for an update on how it\u2019s been holding up since losing their loved one.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re doing okay,\u201d Naster said. \u201cMy son doesn\u2019t show his emotions much. He takes a lot of walks alone. My daughter cried for three days. I do feel justice has already been served. People who are strangers to each other have come together to support the protection of the innocent, which is what Kitty was. We feel the community\u2019s love and support. Kitty has been honored and that\u2019s most important. That\u2019s why we\u2019re all here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Later in the evening, once news broke of the release of the accused, he broke down in a message to Trappalachia:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s Aaron, Kitty\u2019s dad. I guess the girl bonded out 15 min ago. I\u2019m not happy about this. I tried to stay positive today but I have to say it\u2019s pretty disappointing that animal cruelty laws are so lax.<\/strong>\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

North Carolina General Statute 14-360-362.3 holds that it\u2019s a misdemeanor to injure, torment, overwork, or kill an\u00a0animal, or not give it the food and water it needs to survive. Any of those actions\u2014along with poisoning, beating, and maiming an\u00a0animal\u2014become a felony if they\u2019re done maliciously.<\/p>\n

According to animal rights advocate Michael L. Sanders, a paralegal, while cruelty to animals is just as illegal in North Carolina as it is anywhere else in the country, the state\u2019s animal protection laws are less detailed than those in many other states.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the most common forms of abuse and neglect are covered, that\u2019s for sure,\u201d Sanders said. \u201cBut as is the case with so many of our laws, in most states anyway\u2014they\u2019re sort of a template of protection laws back when protection laws were first discussed, drafted and enacted\u2026 Laws like these are par for the course, but eventually they\u2019re supposed to be reshaped to meet the needs or demands of each individual state.\u201d<\/p>\n

Along with directly engaging in cruelty to an animal, it\u2019s also a misdemeanor to instigate or promote animal cruelty, to abandon an animal in one\u2019s care or to maliciously restrain a dog with a chain that\u2019s far bigger than what\u2019s necessary for safety purposes.<\/p>\n

Sanders added that there are exceptions to animal cruelty laws. For instance, biomedical research or training involving domesticated animals serves as a provision to protection laws, as well as their use in sport, capturing wildlife for display at an event (as long as it\u2019s returned to the wild), the production of food or livestock, and the destruction of animals to protect people, property, public health or other animals.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Rescuing Animals From Cars<\/em><\/h3>\n

In North Carolina, certain officers and rescue workers are allowed to rescue a pet from a car (even if it\u2019s locked) if there\u2019s reason to believe that the animal is likely to suffer or die from heat, cold, or lack of ventilation. (N.C. Gen. Stat. \u00a7 14-363.3.)<\/p>\n