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Accused Cat Mutilator - Tyler Weinman - 18
(Miami - June 17) Accused serial cat killer Tyler Weinman’s case seems to be based on circumstantial evidence and might depend on the county crime lab's ability to adapt DNA and other forensic tests typically used for human victims to animals.
Investigators have provided a clear and compelling story of Weinman's guilt or involvement. Prosecutors are hoping that when taken in its entirety, the evidence will show Weinman as one of the people responsible for the torture and mutilation of at least nineteen cats. During a search of Weinman's home police found several knives hidden in Weinman's bedroom. Those knives might help to prove guilt or innocence but forensic tests involving animal blood is not routine. Police also seized Weinman's computer for forensic review of its content. Prosecutors are still waiting to learn if they can match DNA from a dead cat to possible blood found on the knives in Weinman's bedroom. However, authorities are looking at two additional people as possible accomplices of Weinman.
David Macey, Weinman's attorney, strongly denied his client was the cat killer and claims police rushed to make an arrest in order to dampen the public outcry over the killings. "Tyler welcomes his day in court so that he will be completely vindicated," said Macey.
Police started to focus on Weinman in mid-May after a tip. Detectives became suspicious of the teenager after their first interview with him. Sources say Weinman showed numerous scratch marks on his hands, arms, neck and chest, consistent with someone holding a struggling cat.
Investigators further questioned Weinman about the anatomy class he had taken at Palmetto High School that required him to dissect a cat and found his answers disturbing. In addition, Weinman traveled between his mother's house in Cutler Bay and his father's home in Palmetto Bay, placing him in the heart of where the cats were being killed.
Earlier this month police received permission from a judge to place an electronic tracking device on Weinman's car to track his movements. Those around the investigation said the car's whereabouts were consistent with the dates, times and locations of cats being dumped. Weinman did not know his car was being monitored, so when questioned he denied being in certain locations. Investigators looked at those denials as lies and considered them as possible guilt. However, detectives tried several times to conduct surveillance of Weinman, but never saw him doing anything wrong.
Based on the information they gathered prosecutors convinced a judge to grant three search warrants: one for his mother's house, one for his father's house, and one for Weinman's car. Authorities executed the warrants around midnight Saturday.
One question detectives are trying to resolve is where Weinman allegedly took the cats to torture and kill them. Police think there was a certain area or spot to kill the cats in the neighborhood. Once he was done, they believe he would return the cats to their owner's front yard. Weinman may have held onto the cats for several days before returning them but some of the owners are unsure how long the cats were missing before they turned up dead.
Police and prosecutors need to discover a “smoking gun” from the computer, blood or DNA evidence to put pressure on Weinman or an accomplice in this case and force that person to testify against Weinman.
Comments
We're a group of over 9000 cat lovers in Palmetto Bay and we do not forgive, we do not forget that Tyler Weinman accidentaly 19 cats.
My little brother found his cat murdered and skinned in our frontyard and he said
"I'm 12 years old and what is this ?".
He's guilty. enough said. Anonymous believe me we feel your pain and mourn your loss and the sentiment is worldwide. Don't think we forgive or forget either.
i hope he doesn't get convicted so that they streets can handle him maybe he will end up "gutted". . . lets all hope
Like any other accused, he should get his fair day in court and a chance to make his case. Still, there does appear to be some pretty good circumstantial evidence against him. Let's hope the prosecutors and detectives really follow through and do their homework so that, if he is truly the guilty party, he gets convicted like he should.
Why did your brother say "I'm 12 years old and what is this?"... what does that mean. And why does he begin with how old he is like a kid with Downs.
Weinmans case has been based on CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE. Did you not read the article you mornos. It is unfortunate so many cats have been killed,however after months of not catching the "cat killer", police are eager to point a finger at just about anyone. It is these few "cat killers" vs. tons of cops, yet they still can't get any ACTUAL EVIDENCE that proves Tyler guilty. If I were a cop in Palmetto Bay i'd be feeling a little insecure about the performance of my job that after months of cat mutilations I still would not have caught the ACTUAL PERSON (NOT TYLER) who has mutiliated so many cats.Have you forgotten INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY or are you guys all so ignorant that you completeley neglect something called the LAW. After a bunch of tests Tyler is proven to be NOT INSANE. What's next, your going to say the tests are a fluke? When this is all over and he's proven innocent I want every cop to say hello to the BIGGEST LAWSUIT they've ever seen.
anonymous says:
"Weinmans case has been based on CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE. Did you not read the article you mornos."
What are "mornos"? Probably not a word you want to misspell when you're mocking the intelligence of other people, ace.
BTW, circumstantial evidence is still evidence and it has been used to rightfully convict many people over the years.
anonymous says:
"It is unfortunate so many cats have been killed,however after months of not catching the "cat killer", police are eager to point a finger at just about anyone. It is these few "cat killers" vs. tons of cops, yet they still can't get any ACTUAL EVIDENCE that proves Tyler guilty. If I were a cop in Palmetto Bay i'd be feeling a little insecure about the performance of my job that after months of cat mutilations I still would not have caught the ACTUAL PERSON (NOT TYLER) who has mutiliated so many cats."
For someone accusing others of not reading the article, it seems like you didn't.
anonymous says:
"It is unfortunate so many cats have been killed,however after months of not catching the "cat killer", police are eager to point a finger at just about anyone. It is these few "cat killers" vs. tons of cops, yet they still can't get any ACTUAL EVIDENCE that proves Tyler guilty. If I were a cop in Palmetto Bay i'd be feeling a little insecure about the performance of my job that after months of cat mutilations I still would not have caught the ACTUAL PERSON (NOT TYLER) who has mutiliated so many cats."
The only person the "police are eager to point a finger at" is the scumbag kid who had knives hidden in his room, had parents in both locations where the killing occurred, car was traced to locations where the dead cats were dumped, etc. Doesn't sound like "just about anyone" to me. It sounds like the perpetrator of the crimes.
anonymous says:
"Have you forgotten INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY or are you guys all so ignorant that you completeley neglect something called the LAW."
Jeez, are you Tyler? "Innocent until proven guilty" is a standard for the legal system, not comments on the Internet, so get it straight.
anonymous says:
"After a bunch of tests Tyler is proven to be NOT INSANE. What's next, your going to say the tests are a fluke? When this is all over and he's proven innocent I want every cop to say hello to the BIGGEST LAWSUIT they've ever seen."
The only surprise left in this case is whether he had any accomplices. Don't you wonder what was included in those tips to the police? Probably somebody he blabbed to about doing this. You are aware that there are many murderers and other degenerates that aren't clinical insane, right?
Karma's a hell of a *itch and this mofo will not get away with what he's done. Let's hope the justice system will take care of it. Whether you like animals or not, animal cruelty especially that of a serial nature is a key indicator (red flag) for potential serial killers. Whether this poor pathetic excuse for a human being found it "fun" or "amusing" to kill innocent creatures, its irrelavant. Taking the life of another being, animal or not is unforgiveable. What failure of parents and moral values. Absolutely disguisting!
slappy, it was friends of his at a marina? that he bragged about killing the cats to. They turned him in.
"slappy, it was friends of his at a marina? that he bragged about killing the cats to. They turned him in."
where did you get that info?
God, I'm so sorry about all the families who had to go through this ordeal and explain it to their children. I don't know how I would have coped if I had to deal with something like this when I was a child.
This fiend needs to be taken care of one way or another. Let's hope the judicial system puts him away for life. Anything else than life imprisonment would be an outrage. It's less than what he deserves but at least he would be off the streets.
It is to be expected his lawyer will try to create reasonable doubt and his family will blindly support him no matter what. In the end the evidence will speak for itself, and if there are others involved sooner or later one of them will break and be only too happy to testify against the others for a break.
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