Clearwater man decapitated cat, displayed head on stick, police say

CLEARWATER — The details below are as disturbing as the headline above.

A 22-year-old man was arrested on Thursday after police said he severed the head of the family cat, put it on a stick and displayed it in his backyard.

Joshua Daniel Pena-Cedillo now faces a felony charge of animal cruelty.

Here, according to Clearwater police, is what happened to the cat named Cinnamon:

Pena-Cedillo told police that he first attempted to kill Cinnamon by strangulation. He failed. Then he told police that he used a plastic bag to try to suffocate the pet.

Then, police said, Pena-Cedillo then used an ax to decapitate the cat. He took the severed head and displayed it next to the head of a stuffed animal that was also mounted on a stick.

What motivated the gruesome death of the family pet? He told officers that he wanted to “show what he was capable of to someone he was living with.”

Pena-Cedillo was booked into the Pinellas County jail. He is being held without bail at the request of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement.