M Jenny Edwards
SME, Animal Sexual Abuse and Exploitation
NECROBESTIALITY
Description: Sexual contact or conduct with a dead animal.
Linked Crimes: Illegal weapon possession, drugs, trespass, theft
Case Example:
INCIDENT TYPES
Bestiality involves a spectrum of behavior. There is no single profile of an animal sex offender; however, certain psychological and behavioral characteristics tend to fall into broad groups as do the criminal acts committed. Below you will find how cases tend to cluster along with one or more examples. This categorization is based on independent research and is not meant to be used as a legal definition or psychological asssessment of any individual offender.
We maintain a comprehensive NIBRS-level database of arrested, convicted, and suspected offenders. If you are a detective, enforcement officer, or prosecutor, and need detailed information, don't hesitate to contact me directly.
CHILD SEXUAL ASSAULT AND/OR EXPLOITATION [more cases]
Description: Incest or sexual assault of a child or minor by a bestiality offender. Often videotaped or photographed for personal or financial gain. Often shared or distributed on the Internet. May involve physical or threatened harm.
Offender's primary sexual interest may be children rather than animals, and may sexually assault an animal as a substitute for a minor (e.g. paroled child sex offender)
Linked Crimes: Domestic violence, aggravated assault, aggravated animal cruelty, rape, sexual assault.
See Also: Solicitation, Conspiracy to Commit
Case Example:
ANIMAL CRUELTY, BESTIALITY NOT OTHERWISE SPECIFIED
Description: Knowing or reckless sexual contact or conduct with an animal. (Note: animal cruelty is often charged when elements of the crime do not meet a particular anti-bestiality law, or if no such prohibition exists in the jurisdiction.) Other charges that may apply: Lewd and lascivious behavior, Public indecency.
Frequently linked Crimes: Trespass, drug possession
Case Example:
INDECENT EXPOSURE, LEWD CONDUCT [more cases]
Description: Bestiality in public or non-private location. Simulated acts of bestiality in view of another. Masturbation with an animal-related object (e.g. stuffed animal) in view of another
Linked Crimes: Theft, property destruction
Case Example:
AGGRAVATED ANIMAL CRUELTY, BESTIALITY
Description: Knowing or intentional infliction of pain, injury, torture, mutilation, or death of an animal. Includes forceful penetration with object or body part. May be ritualistic. Offender may have a preoccupation with sex or sexual contact with animals.
Linked Crimes: Domestic violence, aggravated assault, rape, sexual assault.
Case Example:
SOLICITATION, CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT [more cases]
Description: Request, encouragement, or demand that another engage in bestiality, including inchoate instances. Promotion of bestiality by another (e.g. filming another having sexual contact with an animal). Facilitation or promotion of others to engage in bestiality for recreation or commercial gain on premises under his or her control. Conspiring with another to commit bestiality. See also: CHILD SEX OFFENDER
Linked Crimes: Sexual exploitation of minor or adult, threats, extortion; pornography production and distribution; coercion, aid and abet another to commit; child welfare endangerment; indecent exposure; drug possession
Case Example:
PORNOGRAPY, OBSCENITY, ALTERED IMAGES [more cases]
Description: Production, possession, or distribution of pornography involving animals and humans. See also: CRUSH VIDEO
Linked Crimes: Sexual exploitation of minor or adult, threats, extortion
Case Example(s):
Jared Kreft, 30 - Wausau, Marathon County, WI - Arrested 12/17/14
Kreft was found in a Wausau barn, wearing a face mask, a black jacket, and blue windbreak pants with the crotch removed. Petroleum jelly and a marijuana pipe were found nearby. Kreft told deputies that he had been watching "horse porn" before he performed oral sex on the mare and tried to masturbate her with his hand. Kreft was arrested and charged with misdemeanor sexual gratification with an animal sex organ, possession of drugs and paraphernalia (marijuana), and bail jumping for prior arrests for DUI, drug offenses, and driving with a suspended license.
In April, 2015, prosecutors dismissed four misdemeanor counts (including one for bestiality), and sentenced Kreft to 2 years' probation.
Steven Errante, 26 - Long Island, Suffolk County, NY - Arrested 12/22/13, Convicted 10/2014
In October 2013, Errante got into a fight with his father and broke his ribs with a baton. A few days before Christmas 2013, he had sex with the family dog and then beat her with an aluminum baseball bat. The injuries sustained were so severe, she had to be euthanized. Errante was charged with aggravated animal cruelty, sexual misconduct, petit larceny, and second-degree assault for the attack on his father. The petit larceny charged stemmd from how Errante had acquired the dog, who belonged to a nearby church.
In October 2014, Errante claimed he was drunk at the time of the attack, and pleaded guilty to aggravated animal cruelty, a felony, in return for dismissal of bestiality and other charges. He was sentenced to two years in jail.
Deborah Sena, 48 Terrie Sena,43 and Christopher Sena, 48 - Las Vegas, Clark County, NV - Arrested December, 2014 for incest, bestiality, and multiple other charges
In December 2014, the Senas were arrested on multiple counts of child sexual abuse and other charges. Deborah is the current wife of Christopher, who was previously married to Terrie. Terrie resides with the current Sena couple along with three sons and a daughter she had with Christopher.
In September, Deborah alleged that Christopher had been abusing her, Terrie, and her children for 12 years or more. Both women claimed that Christopher used "fear and intimidation" to coerce them into having sex with each other, with their children, with the family pet, and with Christopher in front of the children. Some of the children were also coerced into having sex with each other and the family pet. Nearly all of these encounters were captured on tape by Christopher. Eight of the child victims (aged 3 to 16) were immediate or extended family members. It is believed that friends of one of the children were also abused.
Christopher was charged with five counts of child abuse and neglect, four counts of incest and three counts each of sex assault against a child less than 14, sex assault, and lewdness with a child less than 14.
Debra Sena was charged with four counts of open and gross lewdness, two counts of sex assault against a child less than 14, two counts of incest and a single count each of promotion of sex performance of a minor less than 14, child abuse or neglect, conspiracy to commit sex assault and sex assault against a child less than 16.
Terrie Sena was charged with three counts of promotion of sex performance of minor less than 14, two counts of lewdness with a child less than 14, two counts of sex assault against child less than 14, two counts of incest, two counts of use or permit minor to produce porn, two counts of child abuse or neglect and a single count each of sex assault against a child less than 16, and conspiracy to commit sex assault. Terrie was sentenced to life in prison in August, 2015.
Ashley Nicole Richards, 21 and Brent Justice, 51 - Houston, Harris County, TX - Arrested 8/16/2012 - Partially Adjudicated
Richards was accused of torturing and killing puppies, kittens, mice, rabbits and other animals while Justice filmed her actions for paying customers. Richards admitted to killing as many as two animals per day, and sometimes via live computer feed. Justice filmed and distributed videos of the act, and arranged for paying customers to watch live feeds over the Internet. The couple was charged with 2 counts of animal cruelty in state court, and later (November, 2012) charged in federal court with 5 counts of animal crushing and 2 counts of obscenity.
In April, 2013, a federal judge ruled that the videos were not "obscene" because the videos themselves were not sexual in nature. Federal prosecutors then dropped the obscenity charges and the case went back to state court. In May, Richards was convicted of 3 counts of animal cruelty and sentenced to 10 years per count (to be served concurrently). Justice, who was also charged in state court with animal torture, elected to represent himself in court and turned down a 50-year plea deal. On February 10, 2016 Justice was found guilty and is facing a minimum sentence of 27 years.
Sean Johnson,19 - Brooksville, Hernando County, FL - Arrested 10/14/14 - SIMULATED ACT OF BESTIALITY
Employees at a local Walmart saw Johnson masturbating with a stuffed animal. After he ejaculated on the toy, he placed it on top of some bedding and left the store. Johnson was apprehended and charged with indecent exposure and and criminal mischief. He pleaded no contest and received one year of probation plus fines and restitution. Johnson's acts are more likely the result of thrill-seeking or fetish rather than a sexual attraction to animals, but because of the similated act, his case is included here.
Ronald Albert Livermore, 67 - Prineville, Crook County, OR - Arrested 12/1/15 - SERIAL OFFENDER
In 2005 Livermore spent two days in jail for killing several deer out of season. A charge of attempted sexual abuse of the animal was dropped.
In 2008 he was arrested again for killing nine deer and multiple other charges were filed, including poaching, possession of a sawed-off shotgun outfitted with a home-made silencer, attempted sexual abuse of an animal, and aggravated animal abuse. The attempted bestiality charge was dropped in a plea deal, and Livermore spent a year in jail.
Livermore was arrested again in December 2015 for killing two yearling calves, and was implicated in the killing of nearly two dozen deer. He was charged with two counts of first-degree criminal mischief, two counts of first-degree aggravated animal abuse, seven counts of felon in possession of a firearm and 20 counts of unlawful possession of a silencer. He took a plea deal and was sentenced in February, 2016 to three years in prison.
Livermore's apparent motive for killing all these animals was to have sex with them.
Brandon Fanning, 19 - Guyton, Effingham County, GA - Arrested August 2013; Convicted July 2015
Fanning came to the attention of Internet Crimes Against Children task force and Homeland Security who were investigating Fanning after he Skyped with a 14 year-old boy and videotaped them having oral and anal sex. Fanning also posted videos of him having sex with a dog. He was arrested in August 2013 and booked on charges of child molestation, aggravated child molestation, sexual exploitation of a child, electronic pornography, and computer sexual exploitation. A search warrant revealed a large quantity of child porn on Fanning's computer. The male victim turned out to be a cousin, and Fanning was judged to be mentally incompetent.
In a plea bargain, four counts of sexual molestation were dropped (and no bestiality charges were ever filed). Fanning pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a child, and was sentenced to ten years incarceration followed by ten years' probation.
NOTE: Courts have been inconsistent in their rulings on virtual child pornography. Basically VCP consists of highly sexualized imagery that is partially or completely computer or hand-generated, as opposed to photographs or videos of live people or animals. To get an idea of how complicated the argument is, read this article, which is lengthy, but informative. The Handley case (below) is frequently compared to the conviction of Dwight Edwin Whorley, but it should be noted there is no evidence that Whorley was interested in bestialtiy or imagery of children engaged in bestiality.
It should also be noted that there are no known convictions for possession, distribution, or production of animal pornography alone. Charges and sentencing are based on evidence of child pornography, but the presence of animal pornography helps establish a general pattern of behavior.
Christopher S. Handley, 39 - Glenwood, Mills County, Iowa - Convicted February, 2010 - Virtual Child Pornography
Handley was an avid collector of Japanese manga for nearly 20 years. Manga is a booklet form of anime, which are cartoon-like characters that became popular in the U.S. with the introduction of figures like Pokemon and Digimon. Some manga are very sexually explicit as well as violent. Handley’s collection included numerous books depicting minors engaged in bestiality or being sexually abused by adults.
Although Handley did not have a prior criminal history, nor was any child pornography found, he admitted to searching the Internet for manga stories involving the sexual abuse of minors. He was sentenced to 6 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release, plus 5 years’ probation. He did not have to register as a sex offender.
James Richard Koegel, 26 - Ft. Eustis Military Base, Virginia - Convicted March, 2011 - Child molestation, Possession of Child and Animal pornography, large Hentai collection
While Koegel was waiting to ship out to Afghanistan, he and his wife moved in with another soldier and his family. Within a day or so of arriving, Koegel sexually molested the host family's 6 year-old daughter. Evidence produced at his trial included 100 child porn videos, 15 bestiality videos, and about 134,000 anime images that met the Miller Test for being obscene. Koegel was sentenced to 6 years with lifetime probation on charges of abusive sexual contact with a child, receipt and possession of pornography, and visual representation of the sexual abuse of children (for the anime and bestiality videos).
VIOLENT, SADISTIC, TORTUROUS ACTS; CRUSH VIDEOS
Description: Depiction of knowing, intentional crushing, torture, mutilation, and death of an animal. Production and distribution of crush videos is a violation of Federal Law - Section 48 - Anti-crush Prohibition Act of 2010.
Linked Crimes: Weapons possession,
Case Example: