Charges filed after two kittens were killed after they were buried in the snow

Charges have been filed after two kittens were killed after they were found buried in the snow in Hamburg in January.

The Erie County District Attorney's Office announced that 37-year-old Joshua Taylor, also known as Moriah Taylor, was arraigned Monday in Erie County Court on an indictment and is charged with two counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and one count of overdriving, torturing and injuring animals; failure to provide proper sustenance.

Taylor is accused of placing three kittens inside a pillowcase and burying them in the snow on the balcony of an apartment on the 4500 block of Southwestern Boulevard.

The district attorney's office said police took the kittens to the Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center, two of the kittens were killed and the third was in critical condition inside a zipped bag in the pillowcase.

According to the DA, the two kittens that were killed were sent to Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and a necropsy determined that they died from asphyxiation and/or hypothermia. The third kitten was in a hypothermic state and suffering from asphyxiation upon arrival at the Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center but recovered and was adopted by the veterinarian.

Taylor was arraigned in Hamburg Town Court on January 23 and released as the charges were non-qualifying offenses for bail.

Taylor is scheduled to return on August 8 for further proceedings and remains released on their own recognizance. Taylor faces a maximum sentence of two years in prison if convicted of the highest charge.

“These defenseless kittens suffered a slow, torturous death after they were allegedly placed into a bag and buried in the snow on a 20-degree winter day by the defendant. Thankfully, one of these cats survived this cruelty and found a safe, new home. Anyone who abuses an animal in Erie County will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."