Representative image only.

Asbury Park, NJ – A New Jersey teen is accused of something so abhorrent that it is difficult to comprehend. According to Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago, 18-year-old Bani J. Mezquititla “performed sexual acts” on his cat, Ellie, torturing the innocent feline to death.

The prosecutor has said that Mezquititla, “restrained and tortured the cat, resulting in its death.”

The sickening crime was discovered after a concerned citizen took the cat’s body to the Asbury Park Police Department; the investigation led the authorities to Mezquititla.

While we do not have the specific details (please see the update below for details that were released after the creation of this petition) of this despicable crime, we know that the authorities had enough evidence to arrest and charge Mezquititla; he was booked into the Monmouth County Correctional Institution (MCCI) pending a detention hearing.

He is charged with animal cruelty by tormenting, torturing, or unnecessarily or cruelly abusing a living animal resulting in its death, and animal cruelty by using or causing or procuring the use of an animal or creature in any kind of sexual manner. If convicted, Mezquititla faces up to five years in state prison.

If you are appalled by this twisted crime, please add your name to the petition and help us ensure that this young man is put away for the maximum amount of time allowed by law.

bestiality (noun)
bes·​ti·​al·​i·​ty ˌbes-chē-ˈa-lə-tē ˌbesh-, ˌbēs-, ˌbēsh-
plural bestialities
sexual relations between a human being and a lower animal

According to the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, “bestiality has been linked to animal cruelty, interpersonal violence, and sexual homicide.”

We the undersigned demand that Bani J. Mezquititla is held responsible for sexually assaulting his cat, Ellie, causing injuries so severe that she died. We are petitioning for Mezquititla to receive the maximum punishment allowable by law for the charges stemming from his deviant behavior. At sentencing, we also hope to see Mezquititla prohibited from owning or residing with animals in the future. 

Individuals are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law. Animal Victory relies upon the authorities and the court system to determine guilt or innocence.

News

Daily Voice

Jersey Shore Online

APP News

Update 9/27/2023: Bani’s court has been rescheduled to October 31, 2023.

Update 8/17/2023: Animal Victory has spoken with the prosecutor’s office. The next court date is tentatively scheduled for September 26, 2023.

Update 7/28/2023: Animal Victory has learned that the next court appearance for Mezquititla is scheduled for 8/15/2023. Both attorneys will be presenting “discovery.”

Update 6/14/2023: Mezquititla has been court-ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. Currently, the only plea offer on the table is for him to plead guilty to both cruelty charges in exchange for a five-year prison sentence. The prosecuting attorney’s office has assured us that many people from around the world have called about this case. The public has taken an interest and our petition has brought that number to an entirely new level! If you haven’t already, please add your name to the petition as we fight for Mezquititla to receive the maximum sentence! The next conference in the case is on July 18.

Update 5/25/2023: Animal Victory sent a cover letter and petition to the judge. 

Update 5/15/2023: Mezquititla has been indicted on charges that could send him to prison for five years. A Monmouth County Grand Jury returned an indictment charging the teen with two different counts of animal cruelty – tormenting, torturing, or unnecessarily or cruelly abusing a living animal, resulting in its death, and using an animal sexually. Mezquititla remains held without bail at the Monmouth County Jail. At the hearing, the judge noted that Mezquititla explained his handcuffing of the cat as “pretending to be a police officer and arresting the cat after it ran away.” Anyone with further information on the matter is urged to call Asbury Park Detective Anthony Houlis at 732-502-4582; the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ chief humane law enforcement officer, Michael Goldfarb, at 732-542-0040; or SPCA Lt. Michael Magliozzo at 732-440-4538. Asbury Park Press

Update 4/24/2023: Following the creation of this petition, Animal Victory has learned more about this repulsive situation. The details are explicit and difficult to take in, but what you are about to read is nothing compared to the horrific suffering that Ellie endured at the hands of her owner, Bani J. Mezquititla. The following excerpt comes from the Asbury Park Press:
“Assistant Prosecutor Sevan Biramian alleged at the hearing that Mezquititla had sexual intercourse with his pet cat over months and also sexually abused her with a pencil; that he tortured her by repeatedly strangling her with a pulley device consisting of the phone charger cord, a door knob, and a dresser knob; that he handcuffed the feline’s limbs behind her back with miniature handcuffs during the torture; that he cut off her tongue and part of her jaw while she was still alive; and that once she was dead, he threw her out of his apartment window.”

If you have not added your signature yet, please do now. What Mezquititla did to Ellie is sick, and twisted, and he must be prevented from acting on his deviant impulses in the future.