Judge Rules That Torture Is Somehow Not Cruelty—Speak Out!

In June 2024, PETA alerted authorities to a disturbing YouTube video evidently posted by a Massachusetts resident who’d apparently filmed himself cruelly killing rodents inside a homemade compression chamber. These entirely defenseless animals were seen writhing in agony before finally dying as their organs essentially exploded. The American Veterinary Medical Association, the foremost authority on animal euthanasia, unequivocally condemns this method of killing, stating that it results in “pain and distress attributable to expanding gases trapped in body cavities.”

The suspect was charged with cruelty to animals. Shockingly, on October 28, Judge Daniel J. Hourihan dismissed all charges, apparently equating such a sadistic killing device to a standard snap trap, the latter of which is intended (albeit never reliably) to cause an instantaneous death due to cervical dislocation. Thankfully, the district attorney’s office is filing an appeal before another judge, but in the meantime, Hourihan needs to hear from you!

Using the following e-mail address, please address your message to “Judge Hourihan” and politely explain that rodents experience pain and fear, just like any other animal, and that their torture is never to be excused.

The Honorable Daniel J. Hourihan
Taunton District Court
[email protected]

If your e-mail is rejected, please write to Judge Hourihan and call the court at:

Administrative Office
Edward W. Brooke Courthouse
24 New Chardon St., First Floor
Boston, MA 02114
617-788-8810