Cops: Man Repeatedly Got Cats From Craigslist Just To Torture & Kill Them

ST. PETERS, MO – According to multiple reports, a Missouri man is facing animal-abuse charges after authorities say he killed at least a dozen cats he acquired from ads on Craigslist. Police further allege that the suspect tortured and mutilated some of the animals while they were still alive, which elevated his charges to felony status.

Kaine Louzader, 20, was arrested and charged with two counts of felony animal abuse last Friday, according to the St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.

Talking to the press on Saturday, St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney Tim Lohmar said that investigators believe Louzader killed at least 12 cats and kittens. He added that Louzader allegedly acquired the animals from ads on the website Craigslist, where people were offering the cats for sale or for free.

According to the police department’s probable cause affidavit, numerous dead cats, including three mutilated kittens, had turned up between January 1 and May 9, 2019, in the area of Wild Deer Lane, where Louzader reportedly lived with his grandparents.

Arrest documents claim that Louzader was spotted dumping a dead cat out of a bag of water on May 6.

After being taken in for questioning, Louzader allegedly told authorities that the cuts and scratches on his body came from an elderly female patient in the hospital where he works. Later, though, police say that Louzader told them he received scratches from the cats as they were trying to escape him.

Police also reported that Louzader told them he killed the cats in a bathtub or on a backyard patio by strangling them or stomping on them. He also allegedly told investigators that, afterward, he would cut off the animals’ heads or limbs.

Hiram King, a neighbor of Louzader’s, expressed shock to TV station KMOV, saying, “Why would anybody want to do anything to a cat for? They do nothing bad. Just mean, ain't no excuse for it.”

Prosecuting Attorney Lohmar believes that there may be a link between prior animal cruelty and the subsequent commission of violent crime against humans. Lohmar observed, “We've had several incidents over the years, people involved in violent crimes and, lo and behold, in their background there’s some animal mutilation, so it's a scary situation.”

But according to Louzader’s attorney, Eric Boehmer, Louzader has no criminal record and there have been no similar allegations against him in the past. Prior to this incident, Boehmer says, “Everything was normal … it kind of came out of nowhere … for his family and everyone."

“It’s a tragic story,” he continued, “but he’s still a human being we need to try and fix.” Louzader is reportedly undergoing mental evaluation at an area hospital.

Read more: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, KTVI, WLKY, KMOV