We need to discuss how a 12-year-old boy came to torture someone’s domestic cat because it isn’t the boy’s fault if he genuinely suffers from mental illness described by his father as: ADHD, bipolar, psychotic, and narcissistic.
Some fault must be laid at the feet of the parents because the boy, Jonathan Trude, used a knife from his home to stab the cat. The knife should not have been available to the boy. The parents know their boy’s health problems but were lax in protecting their child from doing harm with a knife. The father admits that he had forgotten to hide the knife and has now beefed up security at home. Without wishing to be biased or prejudiced the father looks like he might have had a role to play in this tragedy beyond the knife issue.
The boy also soaked the cat with chemicals we are told. What chemicals and how did the boy get hold of them? Those questions need to be answered. If they were available at the boy’s home that too is an error of the parents.
I agree with the parents that people should be slow to condemn this 12-year-old. And we really don’t want to get too heavily involved in the blame game but…in order to learn lessons and to stop a repetition questions need to be asked and honest answers found.
A cat named Pitty Pat has been tortured and we are not told if he/she survived; although it seems unlikely. This was someone’s pet so the owner’s are also suffering.
Apparently mental health facilities are scarce in Clinton, Iowa, the scene of the crime and in the surrounding area. Jonathan has been sent to Nebraska for treatment. It was the only available bed in six states. It appears that there is a shortage of mental health treatments in America. This mirrors the situation in the UK. Mental health is undervalued generally. It needs to be emphasized far more.
Charged
Jonathan has been charged with first degree burglary and animal torture. I think the burglary charge stems from the fact that the boy broke into the cat owner’s van and tortured the cat inside the vehicle. Jonathan was apparently with 2 others who fled the scene. Jonathan does not remember hurting the cat we are told.
The parents said: “Throughout his lifetime, he’s never hurt them or played rough with them or anything like this. So this is really out of the blue for Jonathan,”
However, a comment below says he has done something similar multiple times.
If this is true, I am truly for your loss and clear PTSD
Who taught him to steal and burglaries?
Prayers do nothing for dead cats
I believe the opposite to be true on both counts in most countries. Your comments sound very prejudiced, to be honest! Surely, North America isn’t that much worse?
I agree the parents look very rough and common, which CAN be indicative of poor parenting, poor health choices and inherited mental health problems. The parents potentially could even have asked him to do it – we don’t know, though…
In building a case with all the info on getting the first week my ibox was flooded with people in the area. One lady said she even had an apology letter from the dad for the boy harming her cat and hers died of brain damage at the vet as a kitten. Ive even had his fanily members contact me that the parents have a terrible history with child neglect assault and drugs. The boy lives 100 yards from us. He tortured ny cat then got in our boat blew off the airborne and extinguisher my dad went to check on it and the. Boy pulled a knife on my parents saying he wouod stab us if he got lose. Dispatch has it recorded I was on the phone with police. He got out of the cruiser and hid in our bushes taunting us until i found him and the cops restrained him again I didnt know aboht my cat until they were leaving. I called a vet that came in for emergency on Sunday ny parents took her in and i went around my house looking for what she was covered in and found half a bottle of transmission fluid in my van along with blood. She suffered too many stab wounds to survive 24 hours after. Neither parents offered to cover her 500$ vet bill or even say sorry they have been bashing me for speaking out against the child and lying about his condition. They are negligent heartless people.