Letter: ‘Puppy Doe’ sentence — Finally real justice for animal abuse

Posted 4/3/18

To the editor:

Last week Puppy Doe torturer, Radoslaw Czerkawski, was found guilty of 12 counts of animal abuse and sentenced to 8-10 years in state prison. Czerkawski, who was in this country …

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Letter: ‘Puppy Doe’ sentence — Finally real justice for animal abuse

Posted

To the editor:

Last week Puppy Doe torturer, Radoslaw Czerkawski, was found guilty of 12 counts of animal abuse and sentenced to 8-10 years in state prison. Czerkawski, who was in this country illegally, will be deported after he has served his time.

Those of us who have been following the Medeiros tenant farm cases noted several important developments that we hope will inform the Bristol County Superior Court and the Attorney General’s Office, and which we hope will cause intense digestive distress to the Medeiros Farm defendants and their lawyers.

Norfolk County Superior Court Judge Beverly Cannone set a precedent in the relative severity of her sentence, and we applaud her for it. Under Massachusetts law a single count of animal abuse (i.e., “knowingly and willingly authorizing or permitting an animal to be subjected to torture, suffering or cruelty of any kind”) is punishable by up to seven years in prison.

While, to our knowledge, none of the Medeiros defendants stabbed, burned, or mutilated their animals as did Czerkawski, many of the 1,400 animals found on the Medeiros property were in grievous condition—starving, diseased, standing on rotting hooves in their own feces amidst the decaying bodies of other animals. Remember that over 200 of them had to be euthanized on the spot.

Judge Cannone allowed veterinarians to testify, that is, to “speak” on behalf of Puppy Doe. Forensic experts stated that the dog’s many injuries had been inflicted on purpose and over time. Lawyers representing defendants in the Medeiros cases have already attempted to squelch Grand Jury testimonies of attending veterinarians and forensic experts, and will surely continue to call to question the use of such testimony should any of these cases make it to trial. May the presiding judge for the Medeiros cases (and, unfortunately, that person keeps changing) follow Cannone’s lead in clearing the way for victim witness advocates speaking on behalf those who cannot.

Thirdly, Judge Cannone is to be commended on her recommendation that Czerkawski be deported after he completes his prison time. This decision may also have bearing on several Medeiros Tenant Farm defendants.

Assistant DA Tracey Cusick requested Czerkawski’s deportation after, not before, he serves his time, arguing that to have him deported now would impose little hardship on Czerkawski, as he has no immediate family here. I have heard grumbling about “our” having to foot the bill for his incarceration, and that he should be deported immediately. Personally, I can think of no better use of my tax dollars than on the imprisonment of animal abusers (although I’m not so sure about providing them three meals a day). And, should any of them be in this country illegally, boot them out the moment they step outside the prison gates.

Puppy Doe’s name was “Kiya.” She was an individual, with her own body and mind. Each of the 1,400 animals on the Medeiros property was an individual, too. Many of them suffered terribly from starvation, abscessed sores, cold and filth. Just as in Kiya’s case, their injuries were inflicted on purpose and over time. Their abusers must be incarcerated for what they have done.

The Norfolk County Superior Court has raised the bar for justice for abuse victims. May Bristol County follow suit.

Constance Gee

Westport

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A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.