Approve of Psychiatric Evaluation for Animal Torturer

Posted by Jennifer Schwager

Target: Gordon Haight, Crown Prosecutor
Goal: Praise efforts to ensure animal abuser will not re-offend
A man who tortured and killed two animals will undergo a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation to determine whether he is likely to re-offend. The evaluation will help courts reach an appropriate sentence in the case by determining whether or not he poses a threat to animals and humans. The offender, 19-year-old Nicolino Camardi, will be kept in custody until the evaluation is complete.
Camardi pled guilty to two counts of willfully causing unnecessary pain, suffering, or injury to an animal after police linked him to the torture and killing of two pets he obtained from Kijiji. Camardi, who was addicted to crack cocaine at the time, taped the mouths of a dog and cat shut, starving them to death. He then disposed of the pets outside where the public found them.
A veterinarian found that both pets, a two-year-old husky and a six-month-old domestic shorthair, were severely malnourished at the time of their deaths from chronic starvation. The cat had injuries to its head, tail, and legs that were called “consistent with torture.”
Camardi has been kept in police custody since his arrest on May 3, 2014. Prosecutor Gord Haight will be seeking a prison sentence of at least 20 months or higher if Camardi is determined to be at high-risk for recidivism.
In order to curb animal abuse, it is important that the justice system take a tough stance against those who maliciously torture animals. In this case, a psychiatric evaluation will be extremely helpful in determining an appropriate sentence. Sign the petition below to thank prosecutors for working to ensure that the accused does not re-offend.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Mr. Haight,
Nicolino Camardi, a 19-year-old Calgary resident, will undergo a psychiatric evaluation as part of his sentencing for two counts of willfully causing unnecessary pain, suffering, or injury to an animal. Camardi obtained pets from Kijiji which he starved, tortured, killed, and left on public property. A veterinarian found that both animals suffered from malnutrition due to chronic starvation, while the cat was found with several injuries to its neck, tail, and hind legs.
A psychiatric evaluation will help in determining an appropriate sentence by judging whether Camardi is likely to re-offend upon release. If he is found at high risk of recidivism, his sentence will likely increase. We, the undersigned, applaud your efforts to ensure that the perpetrator of this shocking crime is punished appropriately.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Utopialand via Creative Commons