Prison for man who stabbed cat

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.omaha.com/article/20100818/NEWS97/100819707/1101866#prison-for-man-who-stabbed-cat

Published Wednesday August 18, 2010

By Todd Cooper
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

A cat killer will spend four to 10 years in prison for a turbulent February night in which he threatened his aunt, fired a shotgun and fatally stabbed a feline in the head.

Douglas County District Judge Patrick Mullen sentenced 20-year-old Matthew Pokorny to eight years, eight months to 20 years in prison -- a term that is cut in half under state sentencing guidelines.

On Feb. 9, Pokorny threatened the aunt he lived with near 48th Avenue and Y Street. He stabbed her cat, Jasper, in the head, then pointed a shotgun at his aunt. He pointed it away and then fired -- hitting a car parked outside.

FULL story at link.

[hlthe2b]

1. Not enough time, but it's a start...

May he enjoy the "fruits" of his karma. RIP, littly kitty.

[Booster]

2. Damn. Sure hope he gets a few anger management classes

in while he's in prison. Quite a piece of work.

[SeattleGirl]

3. Good. I'm sickened by this story.

I hope he has a very unpleasant stay in prison.

[cliffordu]

4. Good. Fuck him....

[david13]

5. Oh, it should be the death penalty. I say death penalty. I say

give him the death penalty, that is my unbiased opinion.
dc

[Pavulon]

6. What a scumbag. Hope he has a pretty mouth(nt)

[reggie the dog]

7. you advocate rape or forced oral sex as punishment

for acts committed by someone who is mentally ill? the offender was likely a teenager when they committed the act. I dont see why you are so vindictive towards a mentally ill young adult.

[hlthe2b]

10. The guy is 20 and it happened in February--hardly a teenager

As to whether or not he is mentally ill-- there is nothing in the article to suggest that. Perhaps you have information unavailable to the reporters? Certainly it apparently was not part of the defense, so I don't quite know where you get that.

That said, I certainly do not advocate prison abuse of any kind; nor do I suspect does the poster to whom you directed your original comments, his grim humor, aside.

[reggie the dog]

11. the article says he is bipolar

bipolar means mentally ill, also if he is 20 today, 18 August and he committed the act 9 february there is slightly over a 50% probability that he was a teenager when he did what he did. Perhaps i misunderstand bipolar but i had a couple of bipolar buddies back in high school and they were crazy with suicide attempts and all, violent outbursts etc.

"Pokorny, who was evaluated by psychiatrists and described as bipolar, had a record of disorderly conduct and threatening behavior."

[hlthe2b]

14. I missed the part about him being bipolar...

but I certainly don't think his age is at all mitigating, given that most of those recruited to fight our wars are 18 years of age. Had he been 14, maybe.

At any rate, I certainly don't advocate sexual violence towards him, but given that mental illness was not a part of his defense, I'm inclined to hope he is locked away for a very very very long time. If his bipolar condition was at play, I hope he gets help and can make something of his life-albeit in prison.

[Pavulon]

20. Dude he is fucking scum. If he stepped in front of a bus, others would benefit from his organs

plenty of bipolar 18 year olds manage to not behave in this manner. I do not advocate prison rape but that can be a byproduct of shitty choices.. So yep, pretty much fuck him.

[Vickers]

8. "Whatcha in for?"

"Killin' a cat."

***long pause***

"You stupid fuck."

[onpatrol98]

9. Stop that...

This post was absolutely not supposed to make me laugh.

:rofl:

---------------------
Okay...I'm better now. How absolutely horrible.

[reggie the dog]

12. he did bad when he killed the cat but he is mentally ill, bipolar

i put xxxxxxxxxxxx to show the impact of his mental illness on his actions, but i guess it is better to throw a mentally ill person in jail than it is to give them treatment

the manic phase may last from days to months and can include the following symptoms:

* Agitation or irritation
* Elevated mood
o Hyperactivity
o Increased energy
o Lack of self-control
o Racing thoughts
* Inflated self-esteem (delusions of grandeur, false beliefs in special abilities)
* Little need for sleep
* Over-involvement in activities
* Poor temper control
* Reckless behavior xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
o Binge eating, drinking, and/or drug use
o Impaired judgment xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
o Sexual promiscuity
o Spending sprees
* Tendency to be easily distracted

[hlthe2b]

16. I think you are going too far in maintaining bipolar condition

explains his behavior. It is not common for those with bipolar disease to do what this man did. Most bipolar sufferers maintain ability to understand right from wrong and certainly this level of extreme violent behavior is not common for bipolar sufferers. Given that the ability to understand right from wrong is the legal determination that decides whether they were culpable or not, that undoubtedly explains why bipolar condition is not considered to be a defense. Conditions that lead to poor impulse control do not typically mitigate against violent crimes in the legal system. In truth, the fact that he was able to pull the shotgun away and shoot at a parked car rather than kill his aunt shows that he actually DID have some control over his actions and that his bipolar condition did not render him incapable of deciding his actions. That said, I do hope he is treated-- in prison.

But, I have to comment on "he did bad, when he killed the cat..." He not only viciously killed the cat in one of the most cruel ways possible, but he was violent towards his aunt. It is not only his violence towards the cat that has put him in the situation he is and have him facing the long prison term that he is.

[hamsterjill]

13. Good for the Judge!

The poor aunt! The poor cat!

Get him off the streets so he doesn't do this type of thing again. What if someone had been sitting in that parked car when he fired the shotgun?

[raccoon]

15. Many murderers got their start torturing/killing pets. Glad he's locked up. nt

[unhappycamper]

17. And War Criminals still walk around free. n/t

[Lost4words]

18. like vet David Motari, the puppy cliff guy!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8975255

[dipsydoodle]

19. Guillotine would've been more appropriate.

.