Brighton Twp. man admits to stomping kittens to death

A Brighton Township man said he stomped kittens to death because "they weren't being take care of."

Cody Michael Tyler's comment came Friday morning when he entered a plea to killing three kittens in September by stomping them to death in exchange for prosecutors dismissing three additional counts alleging the same offense.

In entering the plea, Tyler's attorney asked him if he knowingly killed the kittens and he replied: "Yes." The attorney then asked if the kittens were sick or if a veterinarian had recommended the animals deaths.

"No. They just didn't get taken care of, so ..." he said, not finishing the sentencing.

Tyler faces up to four years in prison when he is sentenced March 26 in Livingston County Circuit Court in Howell.

Livingston County Animal Control officers were called to a home in a subdivision near U.S. 23 and south of M-59 in Brighton Township when a 911 caller reported Sept. 20 that the kittens had been stomped to death.

The short-haired kittens were about 3 weeks to 4 weeks old and they were stomped with a large shoe or boot.

An adult cat in the household that appeared to be the kittens' mother was not harmed, officials said.

Contact Livingston Daily reporter Lisa Roose-Church at 517-552-2846 or lrchurch@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @LisaRooseChurch.