Search warrants released in cat killing case

MIAMI — Cutting instruments, needles, pills, dark clothing and catnip were among the items seized from the family of a South Florida teenager while police investigated the deaths of more than a dozen cats in two neighborhoods, according to documents released Friday.

At an afternoon hearing, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge John Thornton unsealed four search warrants issued during the investigation of 18-year-old Tyler Hayes Weinman, who stands accused of the grisly crimes. The inventories of the collected property were also released.

"It was way too expansive," Weinman's attorney, David Macey, said of the search. "The state has recognized that and made some efforts to get us back our property."

Weinman is charged with 19 counts each of animal cruelty and improperly disposing of an animal body. He also faces four counts of burglary related to the cat deaths. The teenager has pleaded not guilty.

If convicted, Weinman could face up to 158 years in prison. On Friday, Thornton set a trial date of Oct. 19.

Authorities suspect Weinman, who has been released on bond, killed at least 19 cats, whose mutilated bodies were discovered in the Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay neighborhoods. More than 30 dead cats were found in the neighborhoods between April and June, but investigators didn't have enough evidence to charge the teen with every reported death.

Officers collected more than 90 items when they searched the homes of Weinman's divorced parents, as well as a green 2004 Volkswagen Passat and a black 2000 Honda Civic in June, according to the documents released Friday.

The Volkswagen Passat and Honda Civic were stripped of floor mats and investigators seized clothing from both cars, including pairs of underpants, the documents state. Authorities took a pill bottle with an apparent cat hair, dental tools, rope, a middle school yearbook and a wooden spear gun from the Palmetto Bay home of the teen's father. A black backpack, a skateboard, a pair of black padded hockey pants, a plastic container with catnip and electronic equipment were among the items seized from Weinman's mother's house in nearby Cutler Bay.

In a motion filed on June 29, Macey had argued that the personal property seized while the Miami-Dade Police Department investigated the cat deaths "did not represent the fruit of criminal activity" and should be returned. The search warrants and inventories were unsealed so Macey could whittle down the list of items the family needed returned.

"We're going to be examining the search warrant inventory, so we're going to hopefully agree that things such as tax returns and receipts and checks and stuff like that can go back to the Weinman household," Macey said.

When the sealed affidavit supporting Weinman's arrest warrant was ordered released, Assistant State Attorney Michael Von Zamft had said the released information might derail the ongoing investigation into the cat killings. He did not voice similar concerns Friday.

"Whatever damage was going to be done, has been done," Von Zamft said.

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