Couple accused of torturing animals now jailed on federal charges They already faced state charges

Ashley Nichole Richards, 21 (DOB: 11-10-90) is charged with felony cruelty to non-livestock animals. Ashley Nichole Richards, 21 (DOB: 11-10-90) is charged with felony cruelty to non-livestock animals. Photo: Houston Police Department Photo: Houston Police Department Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Couple accused of torturing animals now jailed on federal charges 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

A Houston man and a woman who are accused of profiting from videotaping the torture and death of several pets, using meat cleavers and other knives, were indicted by a federal grand jury, the Associated Press reported on Wednesday.

The seven-count federal grand jury indictment accuses Ashley Nicole Richards and Brent Justice of making eight videos of puppies, chickens and kittens being tortured and killed. If convicted on all five "animal crush" charges and two obscenity counts, the pair could be sentenced to up to 45 years in prison.

Both already faced state animal cruelty charges. Richards, 22, is in Harris County Jail with bail totaling $290,000. Justice, 51, is jailed on $15,000 bail. A Justice Department statement says both will be transferred to federal custody.

A state court proceeding for the two was held on Aug. 20 in Harris County.

Puppy tortured

Prosecutors in court in August said that throughout 2010 Richards received emails from clients who offered to pay her to provide so-called "crush" videos of tortured animals for their sexual gratification.

In one of the videotapes, Richards can be seen torturing a pit bull puppy, according to a criminal complaint filed Aug. 16 in the case. She allegedly bound the puppy's mouth with tape and cut its back leg with a meat cleaver. She then cut the back of the dog's neck and used a different knife to cut the underside of its neck, prosecutors said.

The dog was bleeding and struggling when Richards used the meat cleaver to sever its head from the body, a prosecutor told a magistrate during the probable cause hearing , prompting the judge to stop further reading of details in the case.

Houston Humane Society spokeswoman Monica Schmidt said she has never heard of a case like this in her four years in animal rights.

"In the back of my mind, I've heard that something like this existed, but I never dreamed that my city would be where this horrible abuse would be taking place," Schmidt said. "I think this takes animal cruelty to a whole different level of what we're used to seeing in Houston."

Recorded in Houston

Investigators seized multiple videos made by Richards and Justice of various animals being tortured, according to prosecutors. In one of the videos, Richards allegedly stomped on a cat's eye with a shoe heel.

The videotapes allegedly were recorded at a location on Forum Park Drive in Houston.

During an interview with investigators, Justice admitted he videotaped Richards torturing the animals and killing the pit bull puppy, according to prosecutors. In one of the videos, Justice allegedly placed a knife on the floor within Richards' reach as she tormented an animal.

The case was reported to Houston authorities by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

"Thanks to an email from a concerned member of the public who notified PETA about gruesome videos showing puppies, kittens, rabbits, mice and other animals being tortured and killed, PETA was able to determine that the alleged producers of the videos lived in Houston, and we notified local authorities," PETA spokeswoman Shakira Croce said in an email. "Just two days later, the Houston Police Department made two arrests in connection with the horrific crimes."

Schmidt said anyone who sees or knows of animal abuse should call the Houston Humane Society at 713-433-6421 or report the abuse online at www.houstonhumane.org.

"We have a unique partnership with the Harris County Precinct 6 Constable's Office, so every report is investigated by a police officer and taken seriously," she said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

robert.stanton@chron.com

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