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*Disclaimer: Some readers might find this content disturbing
Human depravity really knows no bounds.
Only a few weeks after the world lost its collective mind over the shooting death of Cecil the African Lion by a Minnesota dentist, a Houston woman has been arrested for one of the most disturbing animal abuse cases imaginable.
A press release by the Department of Justice states that 24-year-old Ashley Nicole Richards has been convicted of producing a type of pornography called “animal crush” videos. Apparently, it’s a thing.
According to the DoJ press release:
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) defines the “crush” fetish as a cruel and illegal genre of pornography in which women are videotaped or photographed mutilating small animals for the sexual gratification of viewers. In crush fetish materials, women are depicted, usually barefoot or in high heels, stepping on (or crushing), torturing and killing different species of animals, ranging from crawfish, crabs and insects to rodents, rabbits, kittens, puppies, cats, dogs and other mammals.
The report added:
Previous court records also indicated that during the videos, Richards is often scantily clad and wearing a Mardi Gras-type mask. As she tortured the animals, she engaged in sexually charged dialogue meant to arouse the viewer.
If you want to read the gruesome details contained in Richards’ videos, here’s a link to the press release itself.
Richards has already pled guilty to state charges stemming from her videos, which landed her 10 years in prison. She’ll be sentenced for the five federal charges (four counts of producing and one count of distributing the “animal crush” videos) on Dec. 10, which could net her another seven years per conviction and up to a $250,000 fine.