Mistrial declared in Galveston cat-killing case

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Nov. 16, 2007, 1:00PM
Mistrial declared in Galveston cat-killing case
By HARVEY RICE
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

GALVESTON — A judge declared a mistrial today in the trial of well-known bird watcher Jim Stevenson who was charged with animal cruelty for killing a feral cat cared for by a toll-booth worker.
The jury told the judge it could not reach a verdict after about 8.5 hours of deliberations.
Stevenson, 54, founder of the Galveston Ornithological Society, was accused of using a .22-caliber scoped rifle to kill a cat being cared for by toll-booth employee John Newland on Nov. 8, 2006.
The prosecution portrayed Stevenson as unconcerned about the cat's suffering and whether the cat belonged to Newland.
The defense represented Stevenson as an animal lover who shot the cat to keep it from preying on rare birds, a victim of overzealous prosecutors, and unaware at the time of the killing that Newland was caring for the cat.
The case hinged on whether the cat was owned by Newland and if Stevenson knew or should have know that it was.
Stevenson told the grand jury that indicted him on animal cruelty charges that he sincerely believed he was killing a feral cat that was preying on endangered species of birds.
During the trial, Assistant Galveston County District Attorney Paige Santell showed that Mama Cat was one of a number of stray cats cared for by Newland, who had placed bedding, toys suspended from string, and trays of food beneath the bridge.
Defense attorney Tad Nelson argued that Stevenson could not see the food, toys and bedding from where he shot the cat and would not have killed it had he known it was Newland's pet.
harvey.rice@chron.com