Rodney Travis Jr. crushed a cat's skull under his boot, then posted a fake cancer diagnosis to raise money off her death.
Henrico, Virginia. Travis rented Henrico hotel rooms three times to film himself torturing cats, including one named Hayden, bleeding from the mouth and nose on camera, then posted the videos to Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok claiming they had cancer and needed donation money for treatment. Prosecutors say he tortured 26 cats total, confirmed two deaths and presumed 18 more, and scammed $400,000 out of people who thought they were saving a dying animal. He was caught after tips came in from France, the UK, and across the US, some from rescues he'd used fake names to adopt from.
He pleaded guilty to six felony counts of animal cruelty, one misdemeanor, and three felony counts of computer fraud. Sentenced Wednesday to 15 years, nearly double Virginia's previous record for an animal cruelty case.
Fifteen years, still not enough for 20 dead cats and a fake cancer scam built on their suffering.
H/t 12 On Your Side