ONLY ON ABC7NEWS.COM: San Jose pet owners learn collars found in alleged cat killer's car

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ByVic Lee KGO logo
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
EXCLUSIVE: SJ residents devastated after learning fate of beloved cats
Now that Santa Clara prosecutors have found the owners of two cats that were wearing collars discovered in the car of an accused serial cat killer, they say they can add more counts to the charges the suspect faces.

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- Santa Clara County prosecutors have found the owners of two cats that were wearing collars found in the car of an accused serial cat killer. The collars are critical pieces of evidence in the prosecution's case.

Now that prosecutors know who the owners of the cats that wore those collars are, they can add more counts to the charges against Robert Farmer. His main charge is animal cruelty.

ABC7 News first broke the story in late September when a man, whom police say is Farmer, was caught on surveillance video snatching a cat from the lawn of a home in the Cambrian District of San Jose.

VIDEO: Man accused of stealing, killing cats in San Jose

Neighbors feared there was a serial catnapper and others came forward saying they too had cats missing or found dead of blunt force trauma.

Last week, Santa Clara County prosecutors asked for the public's help in finding the owners of two cats, which had these collars when they were snatched:

Police found the collars, along with a dead cat, in Farmer's car when the 24-year-old was arrested in October.

The pink collar belongs to Thumper, a cat owned by Leo Martinez and his wife. His remains were found in a parking lot near their home.

Leo saw the collar on TV last week and called the district attorney.

"It just brought some really bad feelings about this gentleman as to what he did to our animal," said an emotional Leo. "I'm sorry but, you know, she was part of our family."

VIDEO: Alleged serial cat killer appears in San Jose court

June Rovai's cat, named Traveller, disappeared the end of September. She then heard about Farmer's arrest and wondered if her beloved feline could have been one of his victims. Rovai's fears were confirmed when she too saw her cat's collar on the news.

"Every day I looked for him until I saw his collar," she said. "The moment I saw his collar I knew for sure that he wasn't coming home."

Farmer has been charged with animal cruelty and other related counts. He'll be back in court Tuesday to enter a plea.