Man Sued for $2 Million for Cat Murder
A 29-year-old man is facing a $2 million lawsuit after trashing an Upper East Side teacher's apartment and murdering her three-year-old Siamese cat.
Joseph Ari Chiesa, the guy no one will ever invite to a party again, had been invited to a birthday celebration at college friend Jessica Barrish's East 86th Street apartment. Chiesa had already allegedly been "guzzling booze, asking to snort cocaine, and calling a neighbor 'fat' from the balcony," when the host and her friends left the building to continue partying at a second location.
According to the lawsuit, Chiesa managed to stay behind alone. At this point, he quickly took things up a notch, smashing lamps, stealing a $3,000 bracelet, and, of course, murdering the cat. According to the Post, Chiesa "repeatedly whacked the cat against a chair and a window screen."
When Barrish returned home, she found blood spattered all over the walls and living room couch. Cassie, the cat, managed to hide in the bedroom, where she died from the injuries.
In October, Chiesa pleaded guilty to aggravated animal cruelty and served four months in jail, but Barrish, who shares the rent controlled apartment with her mother, wants $2 million in property damages and mental suffering, plus a protective order to keep Chiesa away from the building.
