Third cat torturer still at large

by Sarah Lazarovic, Eye

Though it happened nearly a year ago, the torture and killing of a housecat dubbed Kensington has yet to be put to rest.

In May 2001, OCAD student Jesse Power and his friend Anthony Wennekers videotaped themselves slicing open a live cat at a Bathurst St. rooming house. A third culprit, a man known only as Matt, was also visible on the tape the men made of the killing.

Matt is still at large, and concerned Torontonians are trying to find him in order to bring him to justice.

One of these people is Katie Woodward, an animal rights supporter from Haliburton. She has launched a campaign to find Matt, covering Toronto with posters and creating a website with information about the case. Though she says public support for her efforts has been intense, Matt has yet to be found.

"Matt is a known drifter," says Woodward. "This makes it more difficult [to find him], because street people tend to disappear a lot."

Detective Gordon Scott of the Toronto Police Service's 14 Division agrees. "I do not believe Matt is still in Toronto, or we would have found him by now," he says.

Nevertheless, the investigation is still active. Scott has followed tips from Barrie to Niagara in the hopes of finding Matt.

Many Torontonians have been outraged by the case, specifically Power's justification of the killing. He alternately called the murder art and a protest against meat eating.

The recent sentencing of Power and Wennekers proved incendiary when animal welfare supporters protested what they considered slap-on-the-wrist punishments.

Power received a 90-day sentence to be served on weekends, and Wennekers received 18 months' probation plus time served.

However, the Toronto Humane Society (THS) was informed on May 16 that the Crown has appealed the case. "Because people were so outraged, they needed something to put their energy towards. I think this case was appealed because of public outcry over the light sentences," says Daniela Roque, the THS's manager of government relations.

Woodward agrees that the appeal is good news, but is angry because she believes the two men are shielding Matt's identity. "They claim they don't know his last name, but we think they do," she says.

In the meantime, the THS's reward of $10,000 for information leading to Matt's arrest still stands.

Woodward attended the trial, and winces when asked about the gruesome nature of the tape.

"Matt needs to be found because he's dangerous," she says. "In the video he was wearing a shirt with the words 'Legalize Murder' on it."