Police say man killed kittens he bought off Craigslist

ATHENS, AL (WAFF) - Athens Police charged a man with 22 counts of animal cruelty after investigators discovered a "cat room" which he said he used to kill kittens.

Police received a report on Sept. 24 about dead kitten carcasses found in the area of Bullington Road.

During an investigation, officers spoke with Ronald Fraser Golden, who admitted to buying kittens from Craigslist, naming them, and then killing them.

Golden told investigators he had a "cat room" where he would throw the kittens on the floor, stomp on them or "wring their necks" to kill them. Golden gave officers consent to search his property, where investigators found five dead kittens in a brushy area at the back of the property. Investigators also found two kittens and two dogs that were alive.

Chief Floyd Johnson said investigators discovered blood spatter on the walls and the floor inside the property.

News of the arrest scared cat owner and neighbor John Merriman.

"I get infuriated that someone would do that, and very scared - you read about serial killers and they often have a history of abusing animals before they move on to even worse things."

Michelle Wojciechowski said she's never heard of anything like that happening in her neighborhood.

"I can not fathom at all," she said. "I don't understand his purpose. I can't see where that would even come from. He's sick; he has to be."

Golden told investigators he was "angry at the world" and had been killing kittens since July.

Golden was held for evaluation by a state mental health officer and Probate Court and was released Thursday, where he was placed under arrest by Athens Police.

He was transferred to the Limestone County Jail. Golden is currently out on $22,000 bond.

Copyright 2013 WAFF. All rights reserved.