Jun 24, 2009 9:44 pm US/Eastern
Defendant In Serial Cat Killings Receives Threats
Judge Puts Release Of Details In Case On Hold
Motion To Unseal The Affidavit Filed CBS4 & Miami Herald
Case Affidavit To Be Released In July
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
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A judge released Tyler Weinman into the custody of his parents. He must wear a monitoring device and attend weekly counseling sessions.
CBS
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Tyler Weinman, 18, has been charged in a series of brutal cat murders in Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay.
CBS
The 18 year old accused in Miami-Dade's serial cat killing case has been the target of threats, prompting a new police probe.
At a hearing Wednesday, prosecutors confirmed that threats have been received against Tyler Weinman, the former Palmetto High School student charged in connection with the killings and surgical mutilation of 19 cats in Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay.
"Threats have prompted police to open an investigation," Assistant State Attorney Mike Von Zamft said in court. The prosecutor did not provide details of the threats that come after eight weeks of animal cruelty that sparked fear and loathing in the community.
Circuit Judge John Thornton shepherded a compromise agreement Wednesday between the media, seeking release of documents in the cat killings investigaton, and prosecutors who have tried to keep the materials sealed in an effort to protect witnesses and give them time to beef up their case.
The state and attorneys for the media agreed that the "probable cause" affidavits in the case against Weinman will be released in their entirety July 6th, the date of his scheduled arraignment.
"This resolution, with help from the Judge, assures that the material will be made public, and also addresses the state's concerns about their ongoing investigation," said attorney Scott Ponce, representing CBS4 News and our partner, The Miami Herald. "It is important for the community to be able to see how the process works and how charges are brought in cases like this," Ponce said.
Prosecutor Von Zamft asked for the delay, saying the arrest documents contain "names, addresses, and investigative techniques that were used that could harm the on-going investigation."
The prosecutor also said some witnesses and victims were fearful of their identities becoming public. "They have told us that they are concerned, not just for themselves, but for their children and their pets. They're concerned about retaliation," Von Zamft said.
Much of the information believed to be in the sealed material was revealed last week by CBS4 reporter Jim DeFede, citing closes familiar with the documents. They include claims that:
- Police have linked Weinman to some of the cat killings through an electronic device placed on his car that tracked his movements.
- Weinman, unaware that the device was on his car, later denied having been at some of the crime scenes.
- Weinman had scratches on his hands, arms, neck and chest, consistent with having been in a cat fight.
- Knives and other cutting instruments were found when police searched the suspect's bedroom.
Prosecutors have sent the instruments to a lab in an effort to retrieve DNA material that could link them to one or more of the mutilated cats.
The documents also reveal that police have identified two possible accomplices in some of the cat killings. Absent DNA evidence, prosecutors may seek to get one of the possible accomplices to cooperate and testify for the state.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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