Joseph Petcka, whose last trial over his killing of a 7-pound cat ended in mistrial, is back in court today. According to the NY Post, he is expected to tell a judge "he wants a retrial—unless prosecutors offer him a no-jail deal or drop the charges entirely." Last time, eleven jurors believed that Petcka, who weighs 250 pounds, was guilty of aggravated animal cruelty (which would involve prison time), but one juror held out; the......

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." Petcka, a 205-pound former minor league player in the Mets farm system and now aspiring actor, kicked......

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,......

After a judge declared a mistrial in the the animal cruelty case of a 205-pound man who killed a 7-pound cat, some of the jurors explained what happened during deliberations. The Post reported that "exhausted-looking" Shamsul Islam, Juror No. 11, said, "It was 11 to 1." Joseph Petcka had claimed his girlfriend's declawed cat Norman attacked him, so he defended himself by kicking the animal. But the prosecutors pointed to the extent of the cat's......

After five days of deliberations, the jurors in the animal cruelty trial of a man who killed his girlfriend's cat could not reach a verdict, so the judge ended the trial by declaring a hung jury. Joseph Petcka, 205 pounds, claimed that 7-pound, declawed cat Norman attacked him so he defended himself, but the prosecution contended that Petcka was jealous of the cat. The feline was fatally beaten and had multiple broken bones, broken teeth,......

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......

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......

In her closing arguments yesterday, prosecutor Leila Kermani told jurors that alleged cat killer Joseph Petcka, a retired minor league baseball player and sometime actor, is just a "washed-up, never-made-it-to-the-big-leagues athlete" and a "D-minus" actor. On Friday the 6'2" Petcka testified that Norman, the name of his then-girlfriend's 7-pound neutered and de-clawed tabby, "came and lunged at me, throwing me on my butt on the coffee table. Norman was biting into my hand." While he......

NY Post columnist Andrea Peyser interviewed Joseph Petcka--the 205-pound man on trial for animal cruelty after kicking his girlfriend's 7-pound cat to death (the cat had a broken leg, three broken ribs, broken teeth, and a lacerated tongue, plus a chest full of blood). She finds him "uncomplicated" and writes his "life devolved into tragi-comedy" because of the incident. Petcka tells Norman the cat, via Peyser, "I apologize, and I'm very sorry - I'm so......

Joseph Petcka, on trial for animal cruelty after fatally beating his girlfriend's cat, claimed self-defense, saying the 7 pound cat attacked him during his testimony. He told the jury, "He was coming at my legs." Keep in mind that Petcka is 205 pounds and 6'2". Petcka and Lisa Altobelli had gotten into a fight last year, with Petcka yelling, "You love that cat more than me." Altobelli fled the apartment after Petcka allegedly grabbed her......

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. Petcka's lawyer argued that the cat, Norman, actually bit his client's hand, making Petcka's reaction justified. However, Petcka's then girlfriend Lisa Altobelli testified that she once......

Last year, 205-pound Joseph Petcka was accused of killing his girlfriend's cat in a jealous rage. He faces charges of aggravated cruelty to animals and harassment (of his then girlfriend). Petcka left her apartment, allegedly yelling, "You love that cat more than you love me," but returned to confront 7-pound domestic cat Norman. The cat's body was later discovered with "a broken leg, three broken ribs, broken teeth, and a lacerated tongue. " It was......