Well, Mazurek and her cohorts went to court yet again yesterday. Their application for Accelerated Rehabilitation was denied. The two offers on the table were denied, so the judge ordered her to go to trial. All three are pleading not guilty to Animal Abuse. Here's the whole story. WOOO-HOOOO!!! This is DEFINITELY a victory for Adonis. The jury is going to cream them!!! I wish I could be there to see it.
NEW BRITAIN - A Newington teen deemed most responsible for the torture-death of her roommate's cat lost her bid Friday for a special form of probation to avoid trial, jail time and a criminal record. Instead, Jill Mazurek, 19, and her co-defendants Michael Oziomek and Michael Pajak, both 20, must stand trial for the brutal death of Adonis, an 11-month-old cat that was shaved, painted, tossed into a Berlin lake and battered. Its body was never found. "This is animal cruelty at its worst," prosecutor Mary Rose Palmese said inside New Britain Superior Court, minutes before Judge Joan Alexander denied Mazurek's application for accelerated rehablitation. Alexander said state lawmakers never intended to extend the special probation to people accused of such violent acts as this. She said all three co-defendants must be ready to start trial within a day's notice. Each teen has pleaded not guilty to cruelty to animals, a felony charge. All three are out on bond.
Alexander's ruling prompted Oziomek to withdraw his application for accelerated rehablitation. Pajak /was /is not eligible to seek AR because of a prior criminal record. Police say Mazurek became angry in February with her roommate and took out her frustration on the woman's cat. Pajak and Mazurek are accused of repeatedly throwing the tortured animal into Silver Lake in Berlin as Oziomek watched. Mazurek also allegedly struck the creature with a bottle and smashed it into a concrete block. Outside of court Friday, a small, vocal group of animal lovers applauded the
judge's ruling.
"We're so happy," said animal rights activist Lidy Woickelman of
Southington. She was wearing cloth cat's ears and leading chants of "Jail for Jill" and "Justice for Adonis." She said the 15 protesters on hand included members of Friends of Animals
and People for the Ethical Treatment on Animals. "This was almost like a methodical killing of a helpless animal," Woickelman
said.
Catherine Towle, the woman who owned Adonis, was in court to watch the proceedings. Afterward, she said she supported the judge's decision. Towle said the incident apparently was sparked by her decision to evict Mazurek and Pajak from Towle's apartment.
The "only thing that would please me is if she [Mazurek] gets the help she needs," Towle said.
Mazurek's attorney Douglas Pelletier said later that his client is
receiving psychiatric treatment for several problems and will continue to do so.
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