- New Hampshire, USA -
The Wolfeboro Police Department announced the arrest of 25-year-old BRENDAN ELWELL (pictured blow), in connection with several dismembered cats and kittens found in Ossipee last summer.
A news release by the Department, stated ELWELL was charged with four felony counts of cruelty to animals by Superior Court Complaint.
According to New Hampshire Union Leader, ELWELL told investigators he started acquiring cats from Craigslist.
The Conway Daily Sun reports that two criminal complaints against ELWELL are dated July 22, 2020, one is dated August 8, 2020, and one September 7, 2020.
They read: “The defendant, Brendan Elwell used a knife to cut up and dismember a small kitten then transported some of the remains to the public Bridge Falls Path and intentionally placed the remaining parts of the dead kitten near the path.”
Although police had set up a game camera in the area where the kittens were found, they were able to break the case thanks to a call that came through in April of this year.
The Conway Daily Sun identified the caller as Jeffrey Smith who told police he grew up with ELWELL in northeastern Connecticut.
He also said that ELWELL had called him three days earlier and told him “he was becoming psychotic” and had killed the cats, reports New Hampshire Union Leader.
As reported by The Conway Daily Sun, ELWELL told Smith “he was the person who placed them in the park and that he has thrown them at cars while he has driven down the road.”
ELWELL then additionally revealed that he has thrown parts of the cats in the previous owners' yards.
Six days later Smith contacted Wolfeboro Police again to let them know that ELWELL wanted to move in with him.
According to Smith, ELWELL told him he was “getting bored killing cats.”
Meanwhile, investigators learned that ELWELL worked as an armed security guard at Lakes Region Mental Health Center in Laconia.
Ann E. Nichols, director of development & public relations at Lakes Region Mental Health Center, clarified in a statement to WMUR: “This individual is not an employee of Lakes Regional Mental Health Center, but is employed by a security company that LRMHC contracts with for our supported housing residences overnight. The individual also is not armed when he is on our premises.”
Last month, on June 11, Carroll County Superior Court Judge Amy Ignatius issued a warrant for ELWELL’s arrest.
Two weeks later, police saw ELWELL pulling into a parking lot behind TD Bank in Wolfeboro.
Reportedly, he was about to call police to say he was being followed.
Officers took ELWELL into custody and when he was questioned, he admitted to murdering the defenseless felines and revealed that he had two kittens and a cat, all alive, in his apartment.
A search warrant executed at ELWELL’s apartment led to the discovery of the furbabies in addition to “multiple firearms, ammunition, air soft guns, tactical vests, zip ties, knives, swords, hatchets, a hammer, a computer, and multiple cell phones.”
According to the affidavit, ELWELL said “he drinks a lot of alcohol and when he gets intoxicated, he becomes violent.”
He also added that “he’s only killed cats, isn’t suicidal, and doesn’t desire to kill a human.”
When detectives asked ELWELL who knew about the cat killings, the monster said his therapist, his mother, and some friends knew.
On June 28, ELWELL waived arraignment and entered not guilty pleas through his attorney, Michael Zaino.
On July 2, Judge Ignatius approved a motion from Zaino to allow up to $6,000 in state funds to be used for a mental health assessment by Dr. Eric Drogin, a forensic psychologist who provides expert testimony in trials.
A status hearing is scheduled for August 6.
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