PALMETTO BAY, Fla. -- Wearing a bulletproof vest, the 18-year-old accused of kidnapping and killing more than a dozen cats made his first appearance before a judge in Miami on Monday morning.
Tyler Weinman, 18, was arrested and charged with 19 counts of animal cruelty, four counts of burglary and 19 counts of improper disposing of an animal's body.
Weinman's attorney was not present when the teen appeared before the judge on Monday morning. Another attorney offered to stand in for Weinman's lawyer but the judge instead delayed his bond hearing until the afternoon.
During the second hearing, with Weinman's attorney present, the judge set bond for Weinman at $249,000. She said that he must undergo a psychiatric evaluation before being released on bond. If released, Weinman must wear an electronic monitoring device.
Defense attorney David Macey accused the court of submitting to the lynch-mob mentality for holding the teenager on $249,000 bond.
Investigators claimed they had been watching Weinman for weeks after suspicious postings on his pages on the social networking Web sites Facebook and MySpace.
Local 10 found several online postings on Weinman's MySpace and Facebook pages. He listed himself as one of thousands of people hoping to "Catch the Cat Killer."
Detectives said they believe Weinman is the ringleader in a group that stalked, captured, mutilated and killed neighborhood cats. Police would not further comment on other possible suspects.
"This is an open investigation. We cannot comment on what we do have," said Maj. Julie Miller of Miami-Dade police.
"If he didn't do it, somebody really framed him really good," said Weinman's friend, Alex Falgons.
Falgons said he has known Weinman since middle school and suspects the killing spree had to do with his new stepmother, who recently moved into Weinman's father's home in Palmetto Bay with at least a dozen of her cats.
Weinman's father is a dentist, and his office was closed Monday. His mother is a life coach, according to her Web site. She, too, was not around to comment on her son's arrest.
Weinman is wearing special protective clothing in jail and is on suicide watch, two precautions his attorney called unnecessary.
"My heart and my sympathy goes out to the owners of these pets, but unfortunately it won't provide them any relief that Tyler is in custody. Tyler is innocent," Macey said.
The judge indicated that officials would expedite the psychiatric evaluation and have it done possibly within the next 24 hours. Depending on the outcome, Weinman could be released on bond by Wednesday.
Miami-Dade police said they received their first tip about Weinman several weeks ago and continued gathering evidence. Weinman was arrested early Sunday morning at a party in Coral Gables. Police said a suspected motive remains unclear.
"Our communities of Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay have been on edge for many weeks now because of the horrific and unspeakable slaughterings of many of their beloved feline pets. I sincerely hope that with his arrest, the residents will feel relieved and their cats will be safe once again. It is expected that the vicious crimes that have plagued these communities will not be repeated," said Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle.
"I commend the police officers of the Miami-Dade Police Department and senior trial counsel Michael Von Zamft, who worked tirelessly and exhaustively with our law enforcement partners in order to put an end to these acts of cruelty. My heart goes out to the pet owners who have suffered such a great loss," Fernandez Rundle said.
Police said they are speaking to other people of interest in the case, including people who are in Weinman's circle of trust.
Investigators said Weinman was expelled from Palmetto High School at least two years ago and was arrested on undisclosed charges as a juvenile.
Dr. Sara Pizano of Miami-Dade Animal Services told Local 10's Julie Summers it was specifically the manner in which some cats were killed and the similarities between the cats targeted that led investigators to arrest Weinman.
Weinman’s neighbors were stunned to learn of the arrest.
On Sunday night one homeowner told Local 10, "I didn't think it would be somebody in this neighborhood. I never suspected anybody in this area."
Neighbors said the teen's parents are divorced and that he spends his time between homes belonging to his mother and father.
According to neighbors, Weinman's father lives on the corner of Southwest 82nd Avenue and 182nd Street. The house is a sprawling two-story home. It is well manicured and on the front window there is a sticker the reads, "Cat Finder, In case of a fire please rescue the cat."
Weinman’s neighbors said the family has lived in Palmetto Bay for years.
“If it’s that person, it’s really sick and scary. I love to see him off the road,” said neighbor Beverly Sampson.
Circuit Judge Darryl Trawick signed the arrest warrant for Weinman.
Miami-Dade police said that since April, 33 cases involving dead cats have been reported. Eighteen of the cases, which involved a total of 19 dead cats, have been confirmed as animal cruelty, police said. Those cases happened in Palmetto Bay, Cutler Bay and Kendall.
Palmetto Bay resident Wayne Edwards transformed his back yard into a playground for his cats. He had 17 of the animals, but he is down to 16 after one was found slain and mutilated in a neighbor's front lawn.
"Why come here in this area and kill innocent cats? They are not doing anybody any harm," Edwards said.
More than 150 residents gathered at a town hall meeting Saturday morning to discuss the cat killings.
"This terrible time has drawn us together as a community, further emphasizing the importance of knowing our neighbors, communicating with each other and always staying vigilant to suspicious activities whenever or wherever they may occur in our village," Palmetto Bay Mayor Eugene P. Flinn Jr. said in the news release.
The reward for information leading to an arrest in the case was up to $12,000.
