Maximum Sentence for Bestiality
- by: Beth Mcduffie
- recipient: State's Attorney for Lake County, Illinois
Michael C. Bessigano has a long history of bestiality. Back in 1993, he was convicted of abusing a Rottweiler. His crimes inspired an Illinois state law making sex with animals illegal.
He has served over four years in prison after having sex with a chicken and subsequently killing it in his Valparaiso motel room.
Bessigano most recently served 33 months in a federal facility after pleading guilty to "downloading bestiality material." If he pleaded guilty to this for a lesser sentence, we must ask ourselves what he was actually guilty of.
On November 13, 2012 Michael C. Bessigano entered a building where guinea fowl were being housed and raped it, killing it in the process. He then attempted to hide the bird in a trash bin on the property. Employees at Buckley Homestead reported the killing and a search warrant was obtained and served against Bessigano. Feathers were recovered during the search. DNA testing proved the feathers belonged to the dead guinea fowl. Also, Bessigano was wearing jeans that were covered with blood. Testing by the Indiana State Police Laboratory proved that the blood belonged to an undetermined species of animal. The search of his home also uncovered bestiality pornography, a large rubber wolf mask and an altar surrounded by candles. The article cited that they were not able to determine the date the search took place.
However, Bessigano was arrested on Friday, March 2, 2013.
Bessigano's recent crime has proven that he is not rehabilitated and that he is not capable of remorse. He will continue to practice bestiality. In fact has most likely continued to practice it since November when he killed the guinea fowl.
Bestiality is a crime against a voiceless victim. Too many times the laws are not there to allow for justice. We MUST be their voice. And NOW is the time to speak for them. Illinois does have a law that will send Bessigano to jail. It is up to us to insist he not be allowed to plead this case down. His actions and the findings in his home prove this man is not going to change, nor does he desire to change. he has no remorse and is most likely not capable of remorse. He does not deserve sympathy or consideration. These emotions should be reserved for his victims.
If you agree, please sign this petition and let's tell the authorities in Lake County Illinois to please lock this man away.
Dear Mr. Nerheim:
We are asking that the maximum sentence be sought against Michael C. Bessigano for the crime of bestiality, and that he not be allowed to plea for a lesser sentence. We do not believe he can be rehabilitated with known crimes stretching as far back as 1993.
The following is a statement accredited to you regarding the Citizen's Advisory Board and Case Review Board, sworn in on 21 February 2013:
"My top priorities are to restore faith and confidence in the Lake County criminal justice system," Nerheim said. "These boards are an important first step. I am committed to ensuring that everyone in Lake County receives justice."
We trust you are sincere. Those of us who have signed this petition are not all from your county. Not all of us are from Illinois. In fact, we are people from across the world who believe and pray your words have merit and will inspire other counties in other states to follow suit. We are those who speak for the voiceless. We cry out for those who can only weep silent tears when they fall prey to the unjust. We are reaching out to you for the animals. We are not “crazy dog or cat people.” We are average citizens who see the injustice that our companion and domestic animals have been forced to endure for a very long time. We have heard the words “just a dog” echo from places where the word justice is supposed to mean something. So we have done our research and we can show you the statistics that say those who abuse animals are likely to turn their attentions to children. In doing that research, we were given hope upon learning that Illinois has a state law making bestiality illegal and punishable.
Further, we learned that this law was inspired based upon the crimes of a man named Michael C. Bessigano. Mr. Bessigano has a long history of bestiality. He was convicted of abusing a Rottweiler in 1993. He was convicted of animal cruelty and spent more than four years in prison after having sex with a chicken and subsequently killing the animal in a Valparaiso motel room. Most recently, in 2009, Mr. Bessigano pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 33 months in a federal prison on a charge of downloading bestiality pornography. Since we understand the art of “plea bargains” we know he was most likely guilty of a lot more than just downloading material. Further, we are not accustomed to animal abusers receiving 33 months for their crimes, so we can only imagine what the man had actually done and the amount of time he might have been facing to elicit an acceptance of this plea. The facts surrounding Mr. Bessigano’s criminal past in your state, however, does give us reason to hope that justice based on speciesism will one day not exist. We applaud you and your state on being a forerunner toward this endeavor.
We feel confident that you will look at Michael C. Bessigano’s past actions and seek a fair and just sentence for his recent crime. After having spent 33 months in prison, he obviously was not rehabilitated. According to an article posted on LowellCommunity.net:
Michael C. Bessigano, 42, was arrested Friday at his current home in New Chicago on charges of bestiality, killing a domestic animal, and torturing or mutilating a vertebrate animal — all felony charges.
According to the Lake County Sheriff's Department, Bessigano rode a bicycle to Buckley Homestead on Nov. 13, entered a building where guinea fowl were being housed and sexually assaulted one of the birds, killing it in the process.
The facts of the case appear to be overwhelming with feathers found in Bessigano’s apartment that are a DNA match to the guinea fowl he attempted to hide in a trash barrel at Buckley Homestead. Further, he was wearing bloody jeans, and the blood was ascertained to belong to an undetermined species of animal. These facts, as well as Mr. Bessigano’s long history of bestiality prove this man has not been rehabilitated and he has learned nothing from being incarcerated. He has shown no remorse, and has earned no mercy or sympathy. We believe Michael C. Bessigano will repeat his crimes, or do worse if allowed to continue in society.
We beseech the State of Illinois and, specifically, Lake County’s justice system to invoke a just penalty against this man, in particular, the maximum allowed by law. He should not be allowed to plead his case down, but should absolutely serve a sentence that will insure the citizens of your county a measure of safety. We trust your good judgment will prevail and Michael C. Bessigano will not have the opportunity to turn his carnal and lethal attentions to another animal or a child.
We also trust that your attention to this matter might forge a path for other leaders to follow.
Respectfully,
Concerned Citizens of the USA and the World
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