Calif. Teen Accused of Killing Opossum on Video
California teen allegedly killed opossum, posted video on Facebook.
Sept. 3, 2010— -- After posting a video on Facebook of himself allegedly killing an opossum, a California teenager faces a felony animal cruelty charge.
Carter Livingston, 19, of Auburn, Calif., was charged this week by the Nevada County District Attorney's office, District Attorney Clifford Newell aid.
Livingston did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But Candice Eley, a spokeswoman for the San Diego Humane Society and Society for the Prevention of Animals, said her organization started investigating the alleged animal abuse after someone brought it to their attention in June.
"Someone who knew the suspect in the video saw the video on Facebook and was very disturbed by it and gave us a call," she said. "They were able to forward the video so that we could view it."
In the 3.5-minute home video, Livingston is shown with a few of his siblings, she said. The group captures an opossum in their backyard and once it is captured, she said, Livingston proceeds to strike the opossum repeatedly with a meat cleaver.
"I believe it's counted that he does it 44 times before the animal eventually dies," she said.
In the background, Eley said you can hear the sound of the siblings shrieking and screaming.
"They seem to be very upset by what's happening," she said. "Mr. Livingston, however, has a very different demeanor and he's sort of narrating and he's going along. … He seems to be proud of what he's doing."
She said officers with her organization visited his home in San Diego County but learned that he had moved upstate to Auburn. At that point, they contacted Nevada County Animal Control.
District Attorney Newell filed the charges after watching the video.
"The degree of cruelty exhibited by the defendant in the video tape is what determined it and made it a felony," he said. "His apparent callous disregard for the life – the torture – of the animal."
Livingston will be arraigned later this month and faces up to three years in prison, a $20,000 fine, or both.
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