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St. Petersburg man uses Web to catch cat killer

By Abhi Raghunathan, Times Staff Writer
In print: Wednesday, April 16, 2008

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ST. PETERSBURG — After he learned that someone had beaten his cat, Amy, to death near his house, Paul Gilchrist decided he had to use his computer skills to find the culprit.

A search engine optimization specialist, Gilchrist launched whokilledamy.com with a biography of the Siamese cat and how it is named after a Thai restaurant waitress. He's offering $500 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Amy's killer.

"When you're overcome with an emotion like this, you've got to vent it," he said. "I want whoever is responsible for this act to be apprehended."

Amy was seriously injured and was euthanized early Sunday. Police are investigating.

Two witnesses reported seeing a man attack Amy on Saturday afternoon. Ron Broadway said he was walking with his wife when they saw a man hitting something with a big stick. As they got closer, they saw a cat lying on the sidewalk, Broadway said.

Broadway's wife screamed at the man, who shouted an obscenity and said the cat attacked his dog, who was on a leash. The man, who was 6 feet tall, thin and shirtless, walked away. Broadway called 911 and animal services.

Gilchrist said he was gardening in the back yard of his home at 2256 Burlington Ave. N during the attack and didn't hear anything. When he goes into the yard, he said, Amy and his other two cats often go out as well.

When he walked outside and saw Amy, he thought she had been hit by a car. But a necropsy confirmed she was killed.

"It's pure malice," he said. "Someone was walking by and decided to have fun with my cat and they gave her a beating."

Abhi Raghunathan can be reached at araghunathan@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8472.