Calgary Herald
Published: Tuesday, May 30, 2006

CALGARY -- A Calgary man's "grisly and bloody attack" on a kitten, his roommate and the roommate's girlfriend has netted him a 27-month prison sentence -- nine months more than the maximum prosecutors had asked for.

Alberta provincial court Judge Sandra Hamilton said Steven Scott Cooper's "horrific handiwork" deserved nothing less than severe punishment.

Cooper pleaded guilty earlier this year to stabbing and strangling his roommate's cat, then using its blood to write on a wall. He also admitted to injuring his roommate, Robert Pella, and Pella's girlfriend, Jesse Lee, in a fit of rage on Jan. 1.

In sentencing Cooper, the judge paused several times to shake her head, rolling her eyes when describing how Cooper killed the animal, then went after his friends.

"His butchery of this cat had apparently done nothing to assuage his rage," Hamilton said.

Cooper told his therapist he blacked out and did not remember details of the incident. He'd been drinking heavily leading up to the assaults, the court heard.

He has been banned from ever owning a pet.
© The Vancouver Sun 2006