Joseph Petcka, whose trial for animal cruelty ended in a mistrial, has been making the rounds with the media to work on his image. He appeared on the Today Show and Inside Edition, where he said, "I hope there's something I can do in this lifetime that will make them see that I'm a person that loves animals." more ›

Though the jury was deadlocked over whether the 205-pound Joseph Petcka deliberately killed a 7-pound cat, the Daily News spoke to a former girlfriend, who has experienced his anger directly: He slammed a door on her fingers, with one finger so badly injured it was partially severed. The woman, who speaks to women about domestic violence, says the prosecution never contacted her about testifying. they did find him not guilty of harassing the cat's owner, his then-girlfriend. Also, the Post reports the jurors might be called back to deliver the harassment verdict since a juror said he didn't realize they were allowed to deliver a partial verdict--and apparently the jury didn't tell the judge they had a verdict on harassment charge. As for holdout juror Francisco DeFlaviis, he asked reporters to respect his privacy. more ›

The jury deciding the fate of Joseph Petcka, on trial for animal cruelty after he killed his girlfriend's declawed cat, is still at work after three days of deliberations and claims it was deadlocked. According to the Post, one juror told the judge he was "being 'coerced' by the other jurors," but after the meeting, " the jurors requested an easel, a "flip chart," colored markers and a roll of tape, ready to dig in again." They also want some testimony read back. Petcka, 205 pounds, claims the 7-pound cat provoked him, so he kicked the cat so seriously it had multiple broken bones, a lacerated tongue, and a chest full of blood. Petcka's lawyer was surprised at the long deliberation, saying, "The only time I've had jurors out this long is in murder cases." Perhaps he forgot his client killed a cat. more ›

Jurors deliberating the animal cruelty case where Joseph Petcka is on trial for killing a domestic cat named Norman are deadlocked, according to the AP. "Manhattan jurors sent the state Supreme Court judge a note Tuesday, saying they are at an impasse after two days of deliberations," but the judge "ordered the jury to return" tomorrow morning. Petcka, 205 pounds, had been using a victim defense, claiming the 7-pound, declawed cat attacked him. His lawyer believes this means "at least one juror is insisting the prosecution proved its case," which is for felony animal cruelty. more ›

A prosecutor from the Mahattan DA's office called a man who killed his girlfriend's cat "an angry, jealous, drunken bully" during during opening arguments. Joseph Petcka, a 205-pound former Mets draft prospect and actor, is on trial for animal cruelty after he brutally beat an 8-pound domestic, declawed tabby. more ›