SARASOTA — A year ago, George H. Boyd shot and killed his neighbor’s pet cat. On Tuesday, Boyd was convicted of felony Aggravated Animal Cruelty, a crime that carries a maximum possible sentence of five years in prison.
Boyd had alleged that his business, Lucky’s Boat Storage, was struggling with a feral cat problem in the neighborhood, which had led to boats being damaged. In retaliation, he shot and killed what turned out to be his neighbor’s pet cat. The cat’s owner was devastated by the defendant’s actions.
At sentencing, Boyd continued to assert that he acted to protect his business. Contrary to his testimony, the cat’s owner testified that she saw the cat on her neighbor’s property before it fell dead in the street. The prosecution noted that there was no evidence whatsoever that the cat was ever even on the defendant’s property that day, and that even if it were, that would not create a basis for killing it…