5 Years In Prison For Asbury Park Man Who Tortured, Killed Pet Cat

ASBURY PARK, NJ — An Asbury Park man has now been sentenced to five years in state prison for torturing and killing his pet cat last year, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago announced Friday.

The man is Bani Mezquititla, 19. He has also been permanently banning him from ever again owning, living with or having custody of any animal, ruled Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Chad Cagan.

It was in March 2023 when Mezquititla's roommate, a woman, brought the body of the dead cat to Asbury Park Police headquarters. Prosecutors say Mezquititla raped his pet cat "Ellie" multiple times and strangled her repeatedly. The abuse happened inside his Asbury Park apartment, and went on for a several-month period, until the cat eventually died.

"This is the maximum sentence one can receive under the law," said the prosecutor Friday. "We strongly feel that this outcome serves the interests of justice, and hope that the numerous individuals from across the country who reached out urging us to win justice for Ellie are similarly satisfied."

Previously, Mezquititla pleaded guilty to one count of Animal Cruelty by Tormenting, Torturing or Unnecessarily or Cruelly Abusing a Living Animal Resulting in its Death and one count of Animal Cruelty by Using or Causing or Procuring the Use of an Animal or Creature in Any Kind of Sexual Manner (both third-degree crimes)

Warning: Graphic details below that may be upsetting to some readers.

On multiple occasions, he strangled the cat with a pulley system using his cell phone charger, the doorknob and a dresser knob. While strangling her, he would use miniature handcuffs to tie her limbs behind her back. This happened multiple times and he would record the strangulation on video and take selfies.

When he was first arrested, detectives asked if he had ever had sexual relations with the cat, and Mezquititla laughed and said "No, I'm not a psycho."

He later admitted to masturbating in front of the cat, sticking a pencil inside the cat and using his penis to have intercourse with the cat, multiple times. This included ejaculating inside and outside the cat, said prosecutors.

A post-mortem examination found that Ellie showed signs of sexual trauma, both vaginally and rectally. She had internal puncture wounds, indicative of being penetrated with a sharp object.

Additionally, "someone cut her lower jaw and tongue off with a sharp tool. This occurred pre-mortem, meaning while Ellie was still alive," said prosecutors. "He dissected her while she was still alive."

Detectives also found videos on Mezquititla's phone that showed the cat being pulled up by the neck in his homemade pulley system. In one video, she is suspended in the air and appears lifeless. In other videos she is shaking and twitching. In another video, Ellie is seen awake her mouth open, appearing to gasp for air, and clawing at the wall and in the air as she is strung up in the air.

"You can see the cat struggling for its life and in the same picture you can see him smirking," said the assistant prosecutor.

He is alleged to have strangled the animal using his cell phone cord and then threw her body out his bedroom window. On March 2, 2023, Mezquititla told his roommate he had killed his cat, and she is the one who brought the animal's body to Asbury Park Police headquarters that day.

Asbury Park Man Admits Raping, Torturing And Killing Pet Cat (April 2024)