VISTA (CNS) — An Oceanside man who tortured and killed at least 10 cats in what a prosecutor called one of the worse animal-cruelty cases ever seen in the county was sentenced Friday to eight years in state prison.
Prosecutors say Joshua Boyer, 31, adopted cats through animal shelters, Craigslist, and other means, often under the guise of re-homing pets others could no longer care for, then killed them in gruesome fashion.
The abuse was discovered amid the search for a local family's cat, Leonard.
The missing cat's GPS collar was tracked to a property off Reed Road in Escondido, where police found the carcasses of several cats inside a shed on the property.
Prosecutors say the cats were ziptied to cages, burned, shot with arrows and stuck with needles, among other forms of abuse.
Boyer was arrested in 2019 and pleaded guilty last year to 10 counts of animal cruelty.
"This is one of the worst animal cruelty cases we've seen in San Diego County," Deputy District Attorney Eva Kilamyan said at Boyer's sentencing hearing.
According to the prosecutor, Boyer "charmed'' people into allowing him to adopt their cats, seeking out those who had too many cats to care for or older people who were moving into nursing homes. Sometimes, he would claim he was adopting the cats for his family members, though Kilamyan said Boyer's family "had no idea'' he was taking in these animals.
Once he had the cats, "He would put them in the shed and torture them and kill them for fun,'' she said.
The prosecutor said Boyer, who could have received probation on Friday, "showed no mercy to those cats and the court should show no mercy to him.''
Defense attorney Gretchen Von Helms argued Boyer was in the midst of a "psychotic breakdown'' at the time, which coincided with the birth of his daughter.
Von Helms said Boyer's wife was suffering from postpartum depression and "she seemed to prefer, in Boyer's mind, the company of their cat they had, as opposed to their baby daughter,'' according to Von Helms, who said the situation sent Boyer into a spiral of depression and self-medication.
The attorney said Boyer has since taken steps to address his mental health issues and "expressed sincere remorse'' for his conduct.
Boyer also spoke on his own behalf, saying that amid his depression, "I acted out in stupid ways. It's literally the biggest regret I'll ever have. I'm extremely sorry to all the people whose pets I've hurt because I know how it feels to lose a pet and it's one of the worst things.''
Boyer asked to be sentenced to probation so that he could continue working to support his daughter.
"It's an atrocity what I've done and all I can really do is ask for forgiveness from those who I've done harm to their pets,'' he said.
Superior Court Judge Robert Kearney said that while he appreciated that Boyer is addressing his mental health, he ruled probation was not appropriate.
"The depravity of the acts and sadistic nature overrides the steps he has taken to make himself a better person,'' the judge said.
Leonard was never found. His owner, Liz Johnson, said after the hearing that she felt, "relief'' and "happiness'' that Boyer received a prison sentence.
Through tears, she said, "We still don't know where (Leonard is) buried and where he is. But at least he finally has the justice that he deserves. He's a hero because without him, this never would have come to light.''
The investigation was conducted by the San Diego Humane Society's law enforcement arm, in collaboration with other agencies like the Escondido Police Department, San Diego County Sheriff's Department and the FBI. The Humane Society said that along with 10 dead cats and other partial remains found on the property, Humane Society officers seized firearms and tools that were used "to inflict harm,'' which linked Boyer's fingerprints and DNA to the animals.
"While we can never erase the suffering endured by these helpless animals, we take solace in this investigation coming to a conclusion with the judge sentencing Boyer to eight years in state prison,'' San Diego Humane Society Humane Law Enforcement Lt. Regina Price said in a statement. "We want this case to serve as a stark reminder that we will relentlessly pursue justice for those who cannot speak for themselves.''
