A teen accused of brutally killing his neighbor's cat pleaded guilty to felony animal cruelty and use of a deadly weapon Monday morning just before jury selection.
Oscar Vega, 18, admitted to killing his neighbor's cat by beating it in the head with a hammer and then decapitating it. The Grand Prairie man requested a jury determine his sentence.
An arrest warrant claims Vega hit his neighbor's cat in the head 30 times before decapitating and eviscerating the animal.
The cat's owner called police to the Terrace View Apartments on Aug. 6, 2012 after discovering the cat sliced open, exposing its internal organs, and without a head.
According to an arrest affidavit, the owner of the cat said she was yelling at two people outside of her apartment, one of whom picked up the cat's severed head and ran off with it. The second person walked into his apartment carrying a bloody knife.
When officers arrived they were shown to the man's apartment where they recovered a bloody knife covered in cat hair. Arrest documents said Vega admitted to the killing.
Judge Rick Magnis increased Vega's bond to $250,000 during Monday's hearing. Vega was taken directly to the Lew Sterrett jail. He was previously out on a $10,000 bail.
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The punishment phase of his trial is tentatively set for Tuesday, Feb. 18. Vega could receive anywhere from two years to 10 years in prison.
