Sarasota Cat Killer Convicted Of Animal Cruelty Charge: FL State Attorney

SARASOTA, FL — A Sarasota man was convicted on an aggravated animal cruelty charge earlier this month, nearly one year after being arrested for shooting and killing his neighbor’s cat, according to a news release from State Attorney Ed Brosky’s office.

George H. Boyd was found guilty of the felony charge on Nov. 4 at the Sarasota County Circuit Court.

The 63-year-old was sentenced to 15 days in jail, followed by three years of probation, ABC 7 reported.

The crime carried a maximum possible sentence of five years in prison.

Boyd said that his business was struggling with a feral cat problem in the neighborhood.

In retaliation, he shot and killed what turned out to be his neighbor’s pet on Nov. 15, 2024, the state attorney’s office said, adding that “the cat’s owner was naturally devastated” by the shooting.

During the pendency of the case, Boyd filed a motion to discharge it, Brodsky's office said.

After the motion was denied, he filed an open plea, and during his testimony, continued to claim that he acted to protect his business.

The cat’s owner told the court that she saw her pet on Boyd’s property before it fell dead in the street, the state attorney’s office said.

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Prosecutors said that there was no evidence the cat had been on his property that day and even if it was, there would be no basis for killing it.

The cat’s owner also said that she saw Boyd hide a rifle alongside his leg and run from the scene after shooting the cat, “suggesting he clearly knew what he had just done was wrong and illegal,” the state attorney’s office said.

Judge Donna Padar sentenced the defendant to an adjudication of guilt, making him a
convicted felon.

During sentencing, the court considered whether Boyd would have his adjudication withheld because he had no prior criminal history.

The prosecution argued that Boyd should be adjudicated as a convicted felon to prevent him from owning a gun again, “based on the defendant’s dangerous and egregious conduct in this case,” and Padar agreed, the state attorney’s office said.

“Senseless violence towards animals should never be tolerated in Florida. I am pleased the court recognized the severity of the defendant’s actions and held the defendant accountable,” assistant state attorney Nicholas Lata said.