A Sex and the City bit player has become the star attraction in New York for all the wrong reasons after beating his girlfriend's cat to death. He could get 2 years. Some people say the trial is a waste of time/money, others want an example.Your thoughts?

I had not heard about this so thank you for posting the article. All I can say is "What a scumbag!" This guy is mentally unstable, the kind that turns out to be a serial killer. He should suffer the harshest penalty for these actions. I am boycotting anything remotely attached to his name and I hope Hollywood does the same.
Make an example out of this guy and throw the book at him!

2 years is not enough.

I think he deserves more than 2 years. No I dont think its a waste of money at all. Animal cruelty laws should be enforced more harshly and more often. I didnt know about this either-thanx for the article.

Joseph Petcka is a psychotic liar and animal hater. He claimed the cat scratched him, when in testimony his ex said that Norman (the cat) was declawed. If the cat did bite him, I'm sure it was for a very good reason. I have a male orange tabby that I adore and treat like a King and would like to see the book thrown at this creep. Yes, many people will say that it was just a cat, and what's the big deal, but animals are a gift to us in this life, and as their lives are so short --I think that we should make them as content as possible. What is it with these violent, pathological, overly competitive, dangerously jealous egocentric jocks anyway?

Here is the article:
Sex and the City bit player has become the star attraction in New York for all the wrong reasons after beating his girlfriend's cat to death.

Joseph Petcka, who played Sean Sullivan in the fourth season episode 'Ghost Town', had claimed to be acting in self-defence after Norman the long-haired tabby was found dead following an argument between the actor and his girlfriend Lisa Altobelli, the NY Daily News reports.

But his legal defence was dealt a blow this week when Altobelli revealed in court that her cat had been declawed.

The animal cruelty case has electrified New York as Petcka was also drafted by the city's Mets baseball team before becoming an actor and featuring in one of its iconic TV incarnations.

The court has heard Petcka and Altobelli — a writer for Sports Illustrated magazine — had a violent argument in her apartment on the night of March 27 last year where he allegedly claimed: "You love that cat more than me!"

Altobelli went to bed but was woken by Petcka, who kneed her in the back and grabbed her by the neck while claiming Norman had bitten him.

A panicked Altobelli grabbed her purse and ran out of the apartment.

When she returned, she found Norman lying still and battered beneath a bedside table.

"He was dead, I put my hand there — he was cold and stiff," she told the court.

She then phoned Petcka and asked him: "What kind of monster could kill an innocent cat?"

He hung up without saying a word, she claims.

Petcka — who faces two years in prison if convicted — is expected to take the stand, as will an animal welfare officer who will testify that Norman was killed by a sustained beating that broke ribs and caused massive internal injuries.

The case has also divided the city along animal welfare lines, with some prospective jurors labelling the trial a waste of money while animal-lovers have bombarded the presiding judge with letters and emails in support of a conviction and tough sentence.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/634228/sex-and-the-city-actor-killed-lovers-cat

Cover him in catnip and throw him in with the lions.

No, I don't think punishing this bastard is a waste of time. He needs to be disciplined and taught respect for other life forms. No one should be able to beat a cat to death and not get punished. Also, if I were in charge of selecting actors for any movie/ TV show, I wouldn't hire him EVER AGAIN even after paying his penalties.