This is the true story of the so called mentally disturbed pre-teen boy, Jonathan, who tortured and killed a domestic cat in Clinton, Iowa. The press painted a picture of a mentally ill boy who had never hurt pets before and who suddenly killed a neighbor’s cat in the most heinous way. There was a certain amount of sympathy for the boy. This was based on the statement of the boy’s father, Richard Trude.
“ADHD, bipolar, psychotic, and narcissist,” said Richard Trude, Jonathan’s father about his son.
“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,” (his father).
The boy has been charged with torturing a domestic cat by pouring chemicals over him, stabbing him in the chest, and attempting to cut and burn the tail.
The lady who owned the cat, Skylar Golan, contacted me via comments on my original article about this sad story (link opens in a new window).
“This was my cat she did not survive 24 hours after. And the chemical he used was transmission fluid in my van he broke into.”
“This was my cat she didn’t survive he got the chemicals out of my van he tortured her in. He will have assault charges too for going after my parents . I have had 20 plus people vome forward he has stolen their pets and done the same and the oarents were aware of it…”
There are some minor typos which I have retained but you get the message loud and clear. I had a conversation with her using Facebook’s instant messaging (IM) service. The entire conversation is presented below and it tells a completely different story to the one reported in the press.
Her account in her comments and in my IM conversation is radically different to that of Jonathan’s father. On her account he is a serial criminal and the father is a bit of a monster. The boy is not mentally disturbed but he appears to have been parented in such a way that he finds it acceptable to go around the neighbourhood abusing cats. It seems likely that Mr Trude is a cat hater and has passed it on to his son.
The chemical thrown over the cat was vehicle transmission fluid. Having checked, this is an oil. It is not toxic like an acid but it is dangerous on prolonged contact. I don’t think it would have done much immediate harm. The other actions: stabbing and attempted burning would have done more harm. The stabbing killed the cat in my view.
Also as noted the cat did not survive which is very sad news.
The key element of this limited update is that according to the testimony of the cat’s owner the boy, Jonathan, was or is a serial abuser of local pets and his parents know it. Therefore his father allegedly lied to the press about it being a one-off event.
If that is the case what went on beforehand with regards to the police and reporting these events by the pet owners? Neighborhoods can be dangerous places for cats and people. There tends to be someone who is bonkers down the street somewhere who creates trouble and if they hate cats it’s fatal. All the more reason to keep cats confined. There are enough dangers as it is for cats but cat hating killers are the worst. What are the police doing about this? Zilch, zip, nada…
My best wishes to Skylar and RIP her cat. I feel for her loss and for the terrible last moments of her cat.
so sad, something needs to be done, he will continue torturing innocent animals!
He probably will but the authorities don’t care enough.
Parents and child are violent scumbags who need to be put in jail or taken off the planet
Zero Tolerance for any type of animal neglect or abuse
Just more click-bait income for an ambulance-chaser failure. 95% of the articles on this site are nothing but that.
This whole incident enrages me. I feel enormous pain for the poor kitty who lost her precious life and her owner. The neighbors need to come forward with this information and set the record straight. Better to do something now than later. Jonathan Trude needs help, and so does his father. This kind of situation is unspeakably horrifying. This is where local government needs to step in and do something. 😭😱😠
Yes, I agree. Without wishing to be prejudiced I feel that the father is the real problem in the case. It seems clear that although the boy is probably not mentally ill, he is abused I would guess by his father’s indoctrination. He is likely to have a very hard life. I was pleased to have a conversation with the cat’s owner. Facebook can be damn useful sometimes.
While the family certainly sounds like low-life criminals, the worst invective you can come up with is the over-worn epithet of “cat-hater”, as if there was no greater crime in the universe. Says more about your priorities than theirs. All the easier to shriek hatred for a twisted, probably abused 12 year-old kid who killed one of your objects of worship. There is nothing from what you’ve written which indicated the father is a “cat-hater”. The neighbor said he was a drug-dealer. If true, he’s poisoning human beings. He lied to avoid trouble for himself or his son. Doesn’t make him a cat-hater. The kid probably hates everything, starting with himself.
I am surprised you wrote that. There is one clear indication that his father might be a cat hater: Jonathan has gone around the neighborhood abusing cats and torturing at least one. Why would a 12-year-old boy do that if not because of ideas indoctrinated into his head over years by his parents and men are more likely to dislike cats than women. My assessment is fair and reasonable.
What is apparent is that you dislike people who like cats. That comes across loud and clear.
Secondly, you presume that I believe that cat hating is the worse crime. I don’t. Of course it is not a crime and I accept that some people dislike cats.
So sad. She was beautiful. My condolences to Skylar.
You may be right about the wounds causing death and I’m sure the transmission fluid in the wounds didn’t help. No four-legged animal deserves that. 😥