Judge Clifford Cretan said he had only several minutes to sentence Jesus Calderon-Franco today before a separate jury trial was set to commence in his courtroom, so the sentencing was rescheduled for Feb. 6.
Calderon-Franco faces up to 16 months in prison for killing the 4-year-old girl's kitten on Nov. 30, a sentence Deputy District Attorney Sean Dabel said he hopes the judge will administer.
Calderon-Franco initially denied killing the animal but pleaded no contest Dec. 10 to charges of felony animal abuse in exchange for a lesser sentence, Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.
He allegedly killed the kitten, named "Pucci," because he was angry the girl had drawn on the bathroom door, Wagstaffe said.
The roommate and his daughter were out shopping when Calderon-Franco became angry about the drawings, Wagstaffe said.
The roommate's brother was at the apartment at the time and allegedly witnessed Calderon-Franco grab "Pucci" by the neck and throw the kitten off the second-story balcony, according to Wagstaffe.
He then allegedly shouted that he was going to kill the animal, walked outside to where the kitten was and stomped on it, Wagstaffe said.
The roommate's brother called the roommate, who returned home and confronted Calderon-Franco. He denied attacking the animal, Wagstaffe said.
But the roommate saw blood on the sidewalk followed the trail to find his daughter's kitten dead in a nearby trashcan, according to Wagstaffe. A necropsy indicated the kitten died from multiple fractures to the body.
Wagstaffe called the killing "cruel" since the attack not only killed the kitten but also likely emotionally traumatized the 4-year-old girl.
Calderon-Franco remains in custody in lieu of $20,000 bail.
