M Jenny Edwards, Criminologist

LATEST UPDATES . . .

ANIMAL TORTURE

14-YEAR-OLD BOY IN CHINA - An adolescent was recently detained after another student reported him for running a cat torture group online. The rgoup purportedly has about 100 members who share images and videos. Images of cats being beaten, burned, dismembered, and sexually abused were sent to local cat rescues and group members were encouraged to dox volunteers at the rescue. The boy returns to court in April.

ANIMAL AND CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE

Ashley Carambat, 39 of Louisiana has been handed multiple life sentences for sexually abusing multiple minors and the family dog over a 6-year period. Her partner, Steven Harden, 38 is currently serving time for a prior conviction for child molestation. He is now charged with making sexually explicit images of children and will be sentenced later in March.

DIAPER FETISH

Seth Shomo, 32 of Pennsylvania is accsed of having sex with the family dog and sharing sexually explicit images of his children aged 10-12 with a registered sex offender in Washington. When asked by Joshua Strickland if he had any photos of his daughter wearing diapers and sucking a pacifier, Shomo responded by sending 15 images that included a young girl with her buttocks exposed, and a young boy with exposed genitals wearing a soiled diaper. Shomo admitted asking his children to defecate and urinate in diapers for the purpose of filming them.

SEX WITH DOZENS OF DEAD DEER

After 20 years, Ronald Livermore, 79 is finally being sentenced appropriately.On March 6, the Washington State attorney general's office recommended a sentence of 43.5 years for Livermore.  Since 2004, Livermore has killed and sexually abused dozens of deer. Despite arrests in 2004, 2007, 2015, and 2024, he seved barely three years in county jails. When asked how he could eat so much deer meat, Livermore told the investigators that he didn't eat meat, he just liked to shoot them and have sex with the warm corpses. His victims included pregnant does, as well as young fawns and does who had recently given birth.  

LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

South Dakota has passed a bill increasing penalties on "torture-level" animal abuse. SB 156 makes animal torture a felony with a maximum penalty of 10 years.

Florida lawmakers have passed a law that takes aim at people who manipulate minors to participate in animal cruelty or sex acts with an animal.

The Iowa House voted unanimously to make animal torture a felony, punishable by up to 5 years.