Acting Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane announces that 37-year-old Joshua Taylor, also known as Moriah Taylor, of Hamburg was arraigned this morning before Erie County Court Judge James Bargnesi on an indictment. Taylor is charged with two counts of Aggravated Cruelty to Animals (Class “E” felonies under New York State Agriculture and Markets Law) and one count of Overdriving, Torturing and Injuring Animals; Failure to Provide Proper Sustenance (Class “A” misdemeanor under New York State Agriculture and Markets Law).
It is alleged that on the evening of Wednesday, January 17, 2024, Town of Hamburg Police responded to an apartment on the 4500 block of Southwestern Boulevard for a welfare check. Police received a phone call from the legal occupant of the apartment who was allegedly unable to get in touch with Taylor, her ex-partner, for several hours, expressing concern for the defendant, two adult cats and three kittens inside of the apartment.
It is further alleged that police, who received consent from the caller to conduct the welfare check and search the residence, found two cats inside of the apartment, but not the defendant or the kittens. A short time later, police found the defendant in a nearby parking lot. The three kittens were found inside of a pillow case that was buried in the snow on the balcony of the apartment. Police took the kittens to the Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center where a veterinarian found two kittens deceased and one kitten in critical condition inside of a zipped bag, which was inside of the pillow case.
The two deceased kittens were sent to Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. A necropsy determined that the kittens died from asphyxiation and/or hypothermia. The surviving kitten was in a hypothermic state and suffering from asphyxiation upon arrival at the Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center. The kitten recovered and was adopted by the veterinarian.
On Tuesday, January 23, 2024, Taylor was arraigned before Hamburg Town Court Justice Gerald P. Gorman and released as the charges are non-qualifying offenses for bail.
Taylor is scheduled to return on Thursday, August 8, 2024, at 9:30 a.m. for further proceedings. Taylor remains released on their own recognizance.
If convicted of the highest charge, Taylor faces a maximum sentence of 2 years in prison.
“These defenseless kittens suffered a slow, torturous death after they were allegedly placed into a bag and buried in the snow on a 20-degree winter day by the defendant. Thankfully, one of these cats survived this cruelty and found a safe, new home. Anyone who abuses an animal in Erie County will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Acting Erie County DA Mike Keane.
Acting DA Keane commends Lt. Jonathan Cross and Officer Steven Milley of the Town of Hamburg Police Department, Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center, SPCA Serving Erie County and Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine for their work in this investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Megan E. Mahoney of the Felony Trials Bureau.
As are all persons accused of a crime, the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.