“Woman who poisoned herself, pets seeks return of surviving animals - msnbc.com” |
| Woman who poisoned herself, pets seeks return of surviving animals - msnbc.com Posted: 03 Oct 2010 06:43 AM PDT Levittown — But Montgomery County and the SPCA don't want Linda Muchnick to get them back. The pets that a woman poisoned at the same time she tried to kill herself so that they all "could be in heaven together" still belong to that woman, according to a Montgomery County judge. That could change Monday when the district attorney's office and the SPCA file a petition asking that ownership of the 16 cats and one dog be turned over to the SPCA. Judge Steven T. O'Neill on Friday said he could not rule on whether the pets should be returned to Linda Muchnick, 57, formerly of Towamencin, because authorities never took legal action to take possession of the animals. Therefore, the judge said, the pets still belong to Muchnick, even though they have been in the SPCA's care since she was taken into custody on Aug. 20, 2009, on animal cruelty charges. Assistant district attorney Abby Silverman argued that the pets should be considered contraband, similar to drugs seized in an arrest. But the judge said the pets are comparable to property, such as a car seized in an arrest and that if prosecutors want to retain control over the property, they would have to file a petition for forfeiture. "My babies are being held in cages, probably not getting exercise and rotting in those cages," said Muchnick, who has been attempting to retrieve her pets since May, when O'Neill found her not guilty by reason of insanity on multiple animal cruelty charges. Muchnick, overwhelmed by financial problems and about to be evicted from her residence in Towamencin, attempted to kill herself and her 30 pets, lacing their food with rat poison. Fourteen of the pets died, while the remaining animals were taken to an SPCA shelter. Through May, the SPCA spent an estimated $20,000 for the care of the surviving pets. Muchnick was devastated to learn that, while she had survived her suicide attempt, about half of her pets had died, according to a psychiatrist who interviewed Muchnick after her arrest. Less than two weeks after she was found not guilty by reason of insanity, Muchnick petitioned the court to have her surviving pets returned to her. In that petition, Muchnick said she now has an income to care for the pets and a support system in place to help her with any problems. Margaret Gibbons can be reached at 610-279-6153 or mgibbons@phillyBurbs.com This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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