Peta Kills Animals

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PETA Trial, Day 10:
Slow-Speed Chase in a Ford Bronco

Remember the O.J. Simpson trial? Lawyers manufactured "reasonable doubt" by blaming everybody but the defendant, haranguing a jury into submission, and staging a few parlor tricks. Sound familiar? We even had a big, white vehicle. Johnny Cochran had nothing on the final day of the PETA trial. All that's left is for PETA employees Adria Hinkle (O.J. #1) and Andrew Cook (O.J. #2) to pen a memoir about "how they might have done it."
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PETA Trial Final Scoreboard:

It's over, folks. A North Carolina jury has acquitted two PETA employees of Animal Cruelty and Obtaining Property By False Pretenses. Guilty verdicts were handed down for Littering, in connection with PETA employees Adria Hinkle and Andrew Cook's improper disposal of their furry victims' bodies. Hinkle and Cook were each given suspended 10-day jail sentences, 12 months' probation, 50 hours of community service, a $1,000 fine, and nearly $3,000 in restitution. And PETA's "death van" has been confiscated by the town of Ahoskie, NC. PETA will undoubtedly launch a legal appeal.

While we certainly didn't see these "Not Guilty" verdicts coming, we'll give PETA's highly paid lawyers credit for blowing enough smoke and sowing enough confusion to confuse a jury. (That's their job, after all.) But it has now been established in court that PETA, in fact, kills animals. Inevitably, more and more of PETA's naïve supporters will get a clue.

PETA Trial, Day 9:
Everything Is Illuminated (Not Really)

PETA-Kills-Animals defendant Adria Hinkle now admits that tossing animal bodies into a North Carolina dumpster was "a mistake." But she testified today that she had used the same dumpster "a couple" of times before. Meanwhile, Hinkle's lawyer introduced a mystery woman today, and there may be some perjury afoot. And Judge Cy Grant has re-organized the criminal charges-turning twenty-one felony Cruelty To Animals counts into eight misdemeanors, dismissing some charges against Adria Hinkle's co-defendant, and reducing seven Litttering charges into just one. Closing arguments are tomorrow morning, and then this whole embarassing mess goes to the jury.
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PETA Trial, Day 8:
Legal Technicalities

PETA doesn't just kill animals. It also owns them. Imagine that! All this time, we thought PETA's "total animal liberation" philosophy meant animal ownership was The New Slavery. But when it's convenient, even PETA will assert its ownership of dogs and cats. PETA keeps records of how much sodium pentobarbital it takes to kill a puppy, but the group can't keep track of how many dead animals made it back into the company freezer. And what about those controlled substances? When the DEA says one thing, and PETA's top lawyer says another, whom should we believe?
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PETA Trial, Day 7:
Letting the Cat Out of the Bag (So to Speak)

We know PETA hasn't been following the law in North Carolina-at least not the federal drug laws. But has it been flouting Virginia law as well? A day-ending legal cliffhanger promises to unravel this question tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, PETA manager Dapha Nachminovitch confirmed that, yes, PETA does kill animals. That $9,370 walk-in freezer declared on PETA's 2002 federal income tax return is indeed for storing dead animals. And PETA contracts with a Virginia Beach company to incinerate the bodies.
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PETA Trial, Day 6:
Turning the Corner

The prosecution called its final three witnesses today, and then rested its case. A defense motion to dismiss all charges was argued fiercely and then shot down by the judge-for now. And the defense's first witness was more prosecution-friendly than expected.
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PETA Trial, Weekend Edition:
Vox Populi and a Grassroots Antidote to PETA

We toured Hertford County, North Carolina in search of opinions about the PETA trial. Boy, did we ever find them! And a small group of volunteers is banding together to fulfill PETA's broken promises. In just a few months-and with practically no money-they've adopted out more animals in one county than PETA did nationwide during 2005. We thought you should know about them. The animal-cruelty trial of PETA employees Adria Hinkle and Andrew Cook gets underway again Monday morning at 9:30.
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PETA Trial, Day 5:
Deception and Tears

The first week of the PETA Kills Animals trial in the books, and the prosecution is just four witnesses away from resting. Jurors hear testimony that on June 15, 2005 Adria Hinkle promised PETA would try to find homes for animals she killed later that day. A heroic veterinary receptionist stands her ground under tough grilling. Her co-worker sheds tears for three of PETA's furry victims. And police describe a few bizarre conversations with Hinkle before her arrest.
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PETA Trial, Day 4:
Toby, Annie, and a Drug Bust
in the Making

Did you know some of the animals PETA kills have names? Neither did we. But pictures of Dalmatians named Toby and Annie tugged at jurors' heartstrings today. The defendants described animals they were about to kill as "adorable," "perfect," and "pregnant." And guess what? PETA isn't licensed to dispense its preferred lethal-injection drug in North Carolina. » read more

PETA Trial, Day 3:
Opening Statements, Legal Maneuvers, and 92 Dead Animals

The jury sees PETA's tackle-box "death kit" and grisly photos of dead animals. Defense lawyers outline their strategy. The judge shoots down a request for a mistrial. And heartbreaking details emerge about how PETA broke a little girl's heart.
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PETA Trial, Day 2:
Can we Please Agree on a Jury?

Time stands still in Winton, North Carolina -- or at least it seems that way. Opening arguments in the Animal Cruelty trial of two PETA employees were pushed back to Wednesday morning. But after weeding out pet lovers and PETA-haters, lawyers on both sides have finally picked a jury of PETA's peers.
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PETA Trial, Day 1:
Jury Selection, and a Bombshell

As a jury is selected for the felony Animal Cruelty trial of two PETA employees, a North Carolina District Attorney hints at evidence that their alleged June 2005 killing (and red-handed dumping) of 31 pets was not an isolated incident.
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