'This is repulsive to me.' Judge blasts Ohio woman convicted of killing, eating cat
CANTON, Ohio ‒ A 27-year-old woman will spend a year in prison for killing and eating a cat in a case that drew international attention during the U.S. presidential campaign.
Stark County Common Pleas Judge Frank G. Forchione gave the maximum sentence to Allexis T. Ferrell of Canton, Ohio, this month after she pleaded guilty to cruelty to companion animals, a fifth-degree felony.
"I can't express the disappointment, shock, disgust that this crime has brought to me," Forchione said. "I don't know what could prompt anyone to want to eat a cat."
Ferrell interrupted the judge after his statement, saying that wasn't necessarily what happened.
"OK, well, it's my turn to talk. It's my courtroom," Forchione said.
He said a person's heart can be judged by how they treat animals, and Ferrell hadn't shown much of a heart.
"You've embarrassed this county," Forchione said. "You've embarrassed this nation. More importantly, you've embarrassed yourself.
"To me, you present quite a danger to our community. This is repulsive to me, I mean, that anyone would do this to an animal. And an animal's like a child. I don't know if you understand that or not."
"Absolutely," Ferrell responded.
"They bring a lot of love to a lot of people," Forchione said. "They don't have a voice. But their only voice today is me, and I'm going to exercise this voice very loudly."
Widespread attention on cat-eating case
Ferrell's plea followed a competency report from the Psycho-Diagnostic Clinic of Akron that said she is capable of understanding the court proceedings and assisting in her defense. She had previously pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
Information about the case against Ferrell traveled around the world after former President Donald Trump, now president-elect, and his running mate JD Vance claimed immigrants were eating cats and other pets in Springfield, Ohio.
A video posted on YouTube showed police body camera video of Canton officers at the scene of the Aug. 16 incident involving Ferrell.
Canton police spokesman Lt. Dennis Garren has said information requests about the case came from all over the world, including France, Spain and England.
The Stark County Prosecutor's Office said Ferrell did not have time to eat much of the cat because police were called promptly. An investigative report said officers saw blood on her hands and "fur on her lips." Multiple people saw the incident that occurred in a residential housing complex in the southeast section of Canton.
Defendant asks for treatment
Defense attorney Stephen J. Kandel said Ferrell wrote letters to the judge asking for drug and alcohol treatment.
"It's clear that she has an issue with drugs and alcohol, through her evaluation, through her past history," Kandel said. He said she had arranged to attend inpatient treatment.
When the judge gave Ferrell the chance to speak on her own behalf in court, she repeated the request for treatment.
Forchione said Ferrell's psychological report said she shows a reckless disregard for the safety of others and fails to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest.
The judge imposed 18 months of incarceration for probation violations. The animal cruelty incident constituted a violation of probation given previous convictions for child endangering, theft and misuse of credit cards.
He said he wants to give Ferrell's three children a chance in life. He told her if she behaves well in prison, he will allow her to spend the last six months of her incarceration in a facility where she could get drug treatment "and get your life back on track."
Reach Nancy Molnar at nancy.molnar@cantonrep.com or on X @nmolnarTR.