Prison Time Suspended In Killing Of Cat

A Northern Virginia man convicted of stomping a cat to death told a Loudoun County judge yesterday that he regretted what happened, but insisted that his actions were a desperate attempt to stop the declawed, 14-year-old cat from biting his leg.

The argument did not sway Circuit Court Judge J. Howe Brown. In sentencing Peter J. Landrith, 39, to three years in prison, all suspended, and five years' probation, Brown was emphatic that Landrith maliciously killed the cat.

"There isn't any doubt about that at all," Brown said.

Under the terms of his probation, Landrith is required to undergo a mental health evaluation, barred for life from owning animals and obligated to maintain steady employment and a stable living situation.

Landrith was convicted of felony animal cruelty in October, nearly a year after Luke, a tabby who lived in the Leesburg townhouse that Landrith shared with his then-girlfriend and one of her adult sons, died of trauma, his abdomen filled with blood. Landrith faced as much as five years in prison.

Chad Cornell, the son, testified at trial that he found Landrith stomping his foot into a trash can. Luke was at the bottom, bloody and breathing heavily, Cornell said. According to Cornell, Landrith said Luke tried to eat his sandwich and bit him when he shooed the cat away.

Landrith, however, testified that he dropped his tuna sandwich and when he went to pick it up, the cat latched onto his left ankle, his teeth piercing the man's jeans, socks and skin. To "disengage" the cat, Landrith said, he lifted his foot, placed it in the trash can and "thrashed."

"I never meant to hurt the cat," Landrith said yesterday. Upon hearing his sentence, Landrith turned toward those gathered in the courtroom and smiled.

Allyn Cornell, Landrith's ex-girlfriend, was not among the observers. Reached by phone yesterday, she said she was pleased he was not given prison time.

The probation terms are "all very positive," she said. "I hope he gets a good job and that he's well on his way to having a good life."

The case attracted attention from animal advocates around the world. Commonwealth's Attorney James E. Plowman said he received at least 150 e-mails, faxes and handwritten notes -- from New Mexico and Greece, among other places -- praising the conviction and urging a stiff penalty for Landrith. Among them was an Oct. 12 letter from the late comedian Richard Pryor and his wife, Jennifer, animal rights activists, who wrote that Landrith was "clearly a threat to society." Pryor died two months later.

Plowman declined to comment on whether the sentence was appropriate, saying he respected the judge's decision. Defense attorney Robert D. Anderson called the sentence appropriate. At the hearing, he argued that Landrith acted in self-defense. He urged Brown to consider a 1943 Virginia case establishing a farmer's right to shoot a dog attacking his poultry; Landrith had the same right to protect himself, he said.

"If it applies to fowl, it applies to humans," Anderson said.

A friend of Landrith's described him in court as a compassionate man who volunteers for the homeless and has a "good way with people." She said she has never seen him act violently.

Prosecutor Gigi Lawless asked Brown to sentence Landrith to "significant" jail time. She said Landrith was blaming the victim, Luke, whom she characterized as too gentle and arthritic to attack Landrith viciously. She referred to photos of Luke wearing cat clothing.

"They show a cat who allowed himself to be handled and manipulated by others," said Lawless, an assistant commonwealth's attorney. "They show a cat who was content to sit around in a sweater."