Tyler Weinman, Once Accused Cat Killer, Sues Miami-Dade County

​Tyler Weinman, the South Miami-Dade man who was once accused of killing several pet cats, is now suing Miami-Dade County for negligence that lead to his false arrest. The case was dropped in 2010 after an expert hired by the defense found that several of the carcasses of the cats had bites caused by a large animal.

"This young man was vilified in the media. It became a national and international subject. He became a pariah," Weinman's Ronald S. Guralnick, tells The Herald. "My client should have never been charged in the first place."

The suit claims that Weinman's arrest was based on a negligent investigation and built on circumstantial evidence. The case and Weinman's arrest made headlines across the nation.

Weinman was arrested in the Spring of 2009 when the bodies of 19 cats were found in yards across Palmetto Bay and Culter Bay. An animal services investigator, who incidentally was being filmed by Animal Planet cameras for a potential reality show, decided that the deaths were the works of a cat killer. An anonymous tip lead to Weinman's arrest.

The circumstantial evidence seemed strong. The cats were all found in areas relatively close to the homes of Weinman's mother and father. A tacking device placed on Weinman's car showed that he was close to the areas were the cats were found, but the defense team maintained that data was misrepresented in court. The string of mysterious cats deaths also seemed to stop after Weinman's arrest.

But the case started falling apart when no DNA evidence was found. The county dropped the case after the animal bite marks were found.

Also named in the lawsuit: Detective Dominick Columbro, former Animal Services Director Sara Pizano, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and the University of Florida, the employer of forensic veterinarian Melinda D. Merck. Pizano personally examined the cat's remains and confirmed that their death was at the hands of a person. Merck, despite not inspecting the carcasses, confirmed Pizano's findings.

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