Joffrey was just a kitten when someone doused him in gasoline and set him on fire.
This happened on July 7, 2024, in the Five Oaks neighborhood of Dayton, Ohio. Police arrived in response to a fight and found something much worse: a kitten with burns all over his body and an empty gasoline can lying on the porch. Joffrey ended up undergoing surgery at Ohio State University, battled an antibiotic-resistant infection for weeks, and permanently lost both ears.
The person responsible, Eric Williams, who was 21 years old at the time, was arrested on charges including arson and weapons possession. But in the plea deal, those more serious charges were dropped. Williams pleaded guilty only to animal cruelty and possession of criminal tools, and Judge E. Gerald Parker Jr. sentenced him to 24 months in prison, with credit for the 303 days he had already spent in custody. In other words, he has just over a year left behind bars for what he did to Joffrey.
More than 12.400 people demanded justice for him, but the sentence remained unchanged.
Despite that, what matters is that Joffrey survived, found a home that loves him just as he is, and today he is proof that, even though animals cannot speak in court, someone can speak for them.
