A 30-year-old man, Adrian Cruz, has appeared at Sacramento Superior Court in California accused of beating a nearly blind and deaf neighbourhood cat to death. The case, which prosecutors say was captured on a homeowner's security camera, has caused considerable anger in the local community and drawn attention to alleged animal cruelty. Cruz declined to answer reporters' questions, issuing only a terse "no comment" as he left court on 2 July.

Prosecutors allege that Cruz is the man filmed on 21 April approaching a spot where stray cats gathered to be fed, with the battered body of one of the animals discovered shortly afterwards. The homeowner reported seeing him on camera again about a week later, when he allegedly tried to grab a cat before it fled. Sacramento County Animal Care officer Zoe McCurnin then staged a weeks-long stakeout of the neighbourhood and alerted colleagues when the suspect allegedly returned a third time, leading to his arrest.