Brandon man showed 'stunning' levels of brutality in animal cruelty case: judge

Arturo Chang · CBC News

· Posted: May 08, 2025 7:30 PM EDT | Last Updated: 39 minutes ago

WARNING: This communicative contains disturbing details astir carnal cruelty.

A Brandon antheral has been sentenced to 5 years successful situation aft helium brutally killed dozens of animals successful what a provincial tribunal justice says is simply a "stunning" lawsuit of carnal cruelty.

Jess Nichols, 30, pleaded blameworthy to aggregate counts of carnal cruelty after helium killed 25 animals — astir of them kittens — during a five-month play astir 3 years ago.

The Brandon nonmigratory was archetypal arrested successful June 2022, erstwhile a roommate told constabulary she recovered respective dormant kittens extracurricular their home. He was taken into custody again that November, aft he violated bail conditions barring him from having pets.

Police found two dormant rabbits successful the home's room and 15 dormant kittens wrong a trash container extracurricular the residence connected Nov. 15 of that year.

"The level of unit progressive and the brutality with which helium killed them is stunning," Judge Shauna Hewitt-Michta said successful a decision delivered Monday successful a Brandon court.

"The animals experienced pain: they suffered astatine the hands of Mr. Nichols. He defied a bail-ordered information prohibiting possession of animals and re-offended," her written determination said. 

"The 2nd incidental was an escalation successful seriousness successful that helium killed much than treble the animals he'd killed successful June."

Man told constabulary helium 'couldn't live' without pets

When they were archetypal called to Nichols's location connected June 7, 2022, constabulary seized a tote instrumentality with 8 dormant kittens that had disposable injuries, the determination says.

The roommate described Nichols, past 27, arsenic a meth addict who had intelligence wellness problems. She told them helium collected animals via net ads, sometimes selling them for profit.

The roommate said she'd heard Nichols had acquired kittens successful aboriginal June, but had not seen them astatine location until she recovered their remains.

Five months later, a radical of radical alerted constabulary helium whitethorn person been acquiring much animals done net ads.

When officers went to the location connected Nov. 15, they saw favored food, paw prints, 3 rats, and 1 unrecorded feline inside.

A roommate claimed Nichols wasn't astatine home, but constabulary recovered him hiding nether a blanket, the determination said. They then found the 17 dead animals.

Nichols told officers helium possessed animals due to the fact that helium could "not unrecorded without them," admitting he'd violated the conditions for his bail, Hewitt-Michta's determination said.

He told constabulary successful a statement that erstwhile overwhelmed, helium went  through "episodes," during which "he was not himself," according to the decision.

"While helium portrayed himself arsenic acting impulsively, his connection revealed a deliberate gathering of animals from advertisements connected the net with the claimed volition of helping them," Hewitt-Michta said. "He told constabulary helium was bored and wanted to get backmost into fostering animals."

The justice said Nichols minimized the fig of animals he harmed, and lied astir the origin of decease of immoderate of them. 

He told constabulary 1 of the rabbits was killed successful a "freak accident," and the different died the pursuing time of a breached heart.

"The 2 rabbits were necropsied. Suffice it to say, neither died of a breached heart," Hewitt-Michta wrote.

"The Crown filed elaborate necropsy reports specifying a spectrum of gruesome injuries, confirming the sizeable unit required to origin those injuries, and establishing the mean to terrible symptom the animals would person suffered."

'Significant' motivation culpability: judge

Nichols, who had nary erstwhile transgression record, told the writer of a pre-sentence study helium was utilizing drugs astir the clip of some incidents, experiencing withdrawal symptoms erstwhile helium killed the kittens successful June.

He said that during the 2nd incident, helium was besides struggling with suicidal ideation and a narration breakdown.

Hewitt-Michta said his grade of work whitethorn be reduced by intelligence wellness illness, but "his motivation culpability remains significant."

"There is nary grounds the accused suffers from cognitive limitations that undermined his quality to admit that his transgression acts were morally wrong," she said.

While Nichols pleaded blameworthy and demonstrated remorse, "he has been dishonest and minimized the seriousness of the offences," Hewitt-Michta wrote.

"His actions resulted successful important harm to galore animals, and the condemnation imposed should purpose to admit the harmfulness of his actions."

Nichols was sentenced to 5 years successful prison, little recognition for clip already spent successful custody.

He was besides fixed a beingness prohibition from owning, having custody oregon power of, oregon surviving successful the aforesaid spot arsenic an animal.