Starved to Death: No Plea Deal in FL v. Abrams ; Justice for Ella
Hunkered down on her side, Ella's beautiful head fell to her chest in quiet and hopeless despair, a huge black hole where her eye once viewed the world as only dogs can do...with unconditional love and devotion....instead now filled with maggots and roaches. Ella's frail white paw stuck out through the bars that were her prison and her agony, as if she were reaching for the bag of food that was only 5 feet away. The picture you see on the left is what a beautiful dog Ella once was. Now she is dead. She was found abandoned in a crate.
Thousands of angry and concerned animal lovers from across the globe signed the original petition for Ella, the 1-yr-old, white German Shepherd Dog whose owner, Christine Abrams, reportedly abandoned her in a locked crate for months where she suffered unspeakably, and then subsequently died. Now we need you to contact the State Attorney/Judge because many additional and disturbing facts have come to light:
Since mid-March, many additional facts have have been reported:
1) The State Attorney's Office reduced Abrams' charge from a felony to a misdemeanor;
2) According to vet records, before her abandonment, prior neglect of Ella resulted in the amputation of her back leg;
3) According to Brevard County Property Records as of 6/5/2008 there is no evidence that Abrams' house is in foreclosure;
4) Abrams is represented by a prominent W. Palm Beach attorney for her defense, and she plead not guilty;
5) According to Abrams' MySpace page (now defunct), she partied hearty during the time period that is alleged that Ella lay waiting.....dying in that crate.
Thus the concerned citizens of Brevard County, FL bring forth this new petition, asking that there be no negotiated plea deal in this case unless it is for maximum penalty allowable by law.
Abrams' next court appearance is scheduled for June 17, 2008. After digesting these new developments, if you agree that a plea deal is totally unacceptable and that the max punishment under law is warranted - in addition to signing this petition - please contact the following people:
Brevard County State Attorney, Norm Wolfinger, at the following email address: nwolfinger@sa18.state.fl.us (in addition, please cc: wholmes@sa18.state.fl.us and mraska@sa18.state.fl.us)
Please send individual letters to:
Norman Wolfinger and Wayne Holmes at:
Brevard County State Attorney's Office
2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way - Bldg. D
Viera, FL 32940
Phone: (321) 617-7510
Also, please write the Judge on this case:
Honorable Judge Kelly J. McKibben
Harry T. & Harriette V. Moore Justice Center
2825 Judge Fran Jamieson Way
Viera, Florida 32940-8006
Tel. (321) 637-5594
Please remember to treat the judge with the utmost respect. Please ask her to reject any negotiated plea deal that less then the maximum penalty allowable by law. She ultimately has the power to decide if a negotiated plea is allowed or not, and your letters should help her to understand the opinion of the public on this matter. Again, please ask her to respect the opinion of the people in the community.
Bottom line: Only with consistent, public outcry can we bring attention - and thus change - to weak animal abuse laws and lax enforcement. Thank you for your caring concern...
...In memory of Ella and for all animals who are currently suffering as she did.
http://www.local6.com/news/16363984/detail.html
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/state/orl-dogabuse2308may23,0,5986969.story
http://floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=A9&Date=20080522&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=805220802&Ref=PH&Profile=1086&Params=Itemnr=3
Hunkered down on her side, Ella's beautiful head fell to her chest in quiet and hopeless despair, a huge black hole where her eye once viewed the world as only dogs can do...with unconditional love and devotion....instead now filled with maggots and roaches. Ella's frail white paw stuck out through the bars that were her prison and her agony, as if she were reaching for the bag of food that was only 5 feet away. The picture you see on the left is what a beautiful dog Ella once was. Now she is dead. She was found abandoned in a crate.
Thousands of angry and concerned animal lovers from across the globe signed the original petition for Ella, the 1-yr-old, white German Shepherd Dog whose owner, Christine Abrams, reportedly abandoned her in a locked crate for months where she suffered unspeakably, and then subsequently died. Now we need you to contact the State Attorney/Judge because many additional and disturbing facts have come to light:
Since mid-March, many additional facts have have been reported:
1) The State Attorney's Office reduced Abrams' charge from a felony to a misdemeanor;
2) According to vet records, before her abandonment, prior neglect of Ella resulted in the amputation of her back leg;
3) According to Brevard County Property Records as of 6/5/2008 there is no evidence that Abrams' house is in foreclosure;
4) Abrams is represented by a prominent W. Palm Beach attorney for her defense, and she plead not guilty;
5) According to Abrams' MySpace page (now defunct), she partied hearty during the time period that is alleged that Ella lay waiting.....dying in that crate.
Thus the concerned citizens of Brevard County, FL bring forth this new petition, asking that there be no negotiated plea deal in this case unless it is for maximum penalty allowable by law.
Abrams' next court appearance is scheduled for June 17, 2008. After digesting these new developments, if you agree that a plea deal is totally unacceptable and that the max punishment under law is warranted - in addition to signing this petition - please contact the following people:
Brevard County State Attorney, Norm Wolfinger, at the following email address: nwolfinger@sa18.state.fl.us (in addition, please cc: wholmes@sa18.state.fl.us and mraska@sa18.state.fl.us)
Please send individual letters to:
Norman Wolfinger and Wayne Holmes at:
Brevard County State Attorney's Office
2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way - Bldg. D
Viera, FL 32940
Phone: (321) 617-7510
Also, please write the Judge on this case:
Honorable Judge Kelly J. McKibben
Harry T. & Harriette V. Moore Justice Center
2825 Judge Fran Jamieson Way
Viera, Florida 32940-8006
Tel. (321) 637-5594
Please remember to treat the judge with the utmost respect. Please ask her to reject any negotiated plea deal that less then the maximum penalty allowable by law. She ultimately has the power to decide if a negotiated plea is allowed or not, and your letters should help her to understand the opinion of the public on this matter. Again, please ask her to respect the opinion of the people in the community.
Bottom line: Only with consistent, public outcry can we bring attention - and thus change - to weak animal abuse laws and lax enforcement. Thank you for your caring concern...
...In memory of Ella and for all animals who are currently suffering as she did.
http://www.local6.com/news/16363984/detail.html
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/state/orl-dogabuse2308may23,0,5986969.story
http://floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=A9&Date=20080522&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=805220802&Ref=PH&Profile=1086&Params=Itemnr=3
Norman Wolfinger, Wayne Holmes, & Michael Raska
State Attorney's Office
2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way - Bldg. D
Viera, FL 32940
In the matter of State of Florida v. Christine Dawn Abrams:
We the undersigned,
Consider animal cruelty to be a serious offense that should not to be taken lightly;
Desire to be a voice for Ella;
Keep in mind she has no voice;
Aware of the importance of tourism to the Florida economy;
Affirm that there are many part-time Florida residents;
Believe that the opinions of part-time Florida residents should be considered in this matter;
Desire for all members of the community to be heard;
Fully believe that there is more than sufficient evidence in this case to substantiate the charges of misdemeanor animal cruelty and unlawful confinement of an animal;
Note with regret that the defendant is not charged with a felony;
Affirm that a trial by jury of one's peers is the ultimate expression of the community's will in matters of criminal justice;
Therefore we,
Remind the State Attorney's Office that they represent the People of the State of Florida;
Draw attention to the amount of public outcry in the community;
Emphasize the heinous nature of this crime;
Express our hope that the State Attorney's Office will take this case to trial;
Strongly condemn any plea deal that would be for less then the maximum penalty allowable by law;
Trust that the voices of the community will be heard.
There is no excuse for this behavior to any living thing shame on the judge for changing the charge to a misdemeanor
People like Abrams shouldn't be allowed to just roam around in our society. What she did to her beautiful dog is just unacceptable. Animal cruelty is unacceptable! I would personally like to see Abrams put in jail with no water and food only five feet in front of her cell so that she can feel what Ella felt as she died such a slow, agonizing death.
Please make an example of this woman. We cannot afford to have people like this in our society! What will she do to her children?? This needs to stop!
What a sorry excuse for a human being...to watch that animal suffer when it would have only taken one phone call for somebody to come get her. Give her the full sentence the law allows. Anybody would have come to rescue that dog if she had just asked. Don't think for a minute she'd treat people any differently.
She should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law...and then some.
Sad that someone could abuse any animal. We are their care givers
I am a doctor in psychology and I agree that animals deserve respect and when humans are acting in a violent way towards animals they should be held accountable by a law.
Ella deserved a better life. The human responsible for this does not deserve his. But he gets to keep it. Because he has a voice.
It's so chilling to read, I'm not sure exactly what to say. I probably feel the same way as everyone who signs this, terrible. Knowing that people are allowed to do horrific things like this to animals is so depressing, so sometimes I try to forget about it, but I know that that isn't any better. I need to actually express my complaints, and loudly. I see a lot of signature funds to enforce or create laws against animal cruelty, but I think that this one, about this poor German Shepherd who was left to suffer as her stomach shriveled up and body rotted, hurt me the most to read. I hate reading these stories, but I understand why they are told, and I just want to say that it worked, and I won't let this poor dog down. And I plead anyone who reads my message to express your opinions to the news and governors of your states, and especially to the judge who is going to lead that woman's trial. Please tell them how much it hurts you that someone would be allowed to do this to any animal, and beg them to help keep it from happening again. Thank you for listening.
Any mistreatment of any animal should not be over looked, and the owner should take full responsiblity for it. This should even mean that the owner should be punished for their action.
This type of injustice should never be reduced to triviality. Anyone who could cause this much harm to an animal is just a few steps away from doing it to a human!
I cried when I heard Ella's story. Doing something so cruel to an innocent being is, in my opinion, the worst thing anyone could do. I'm completely horrified at the thought that Christine Abrams might not be held accountable for what she's done.
Well here it is mid October and still no resolution????? This is truly a crime. This woman belongs in jail, and with NO food or water!
This type of cruelty should not be overlooked and Abrams needs to be punished for what she did to this poor "Ella". Please do not send out the message to others that this type of "sick" behavior is alright and goe unpunished. I hope she gets the maximum fines and jail time for this brutal act she committed that is absolutely unacceptable!!!!!
I'm germans sheeperds breader in France. I've never eard a such tragical story. This kind of person are monster not human. HORRIBLE, MONSTRUEUX, ABJECT!!!
This Person if you want to call her that, should be held to the maximum. She should be locked up. NO MISDEMEANOR.....NO PLEA DEAL.... From Patsy Krupnik
Poor beautiful Ella. This is case is an outrage but unfortunately all too common. We need to get laws changed so people think twice about commiting these types of crimes. The Humane Society Legislative Fund (www.fund.org) is trying to do just that, pushing for stricter laws at the state and federal levels so that animal abusers can really be punished and not just get a slap on the wrist. They need to suffer like their victims!
I can't believe this!!
Rest in peace sweet one i hold you in my heart
A la cour de justice, Des jurisprudences il y en a parfois et elles servent à faire changer les choses. Combien de fois en tant que personnes, vous avez pu vous dire que si les choses changeaient ça irait mieux. A ce jour vous avez ce pouvoir de changement alors appliquer jurisprudence pour ce cas, afin de responsabiliser cette personne et de se rendre enfin compte de son acte. De plus, ce sera un exemple parfais pour tous les prochains jugements à suivre. CHRISTOPHE;
My husband and I have written to the judge on this case, and we have also written to the attorney general. We want to see Abrams punished to the full extent of the law. We also want to see much stricter laws regarding animal cruelty in this state.
Pour qu'elle ne soit pas morte pour rien !! Que justice soit faite !!
pour que plus jamais une horreur pareille puisse se reproduire. j'espere que ce monstre sera condamné avec la plus grande severité
I sign this in memory of Ella and all the others who have been in such situations.To wait ill the one you love to comes home to feed you and for that glimpse of your love one. For one touch a little food maybe water you still love them,no matter you are faithful till the end. This did not need to happen someone had to know.Please implore them to step forward,it is to late for Ella but not for others.
I am diagnosed with manic depression disorder. I believe that this is a good example on how an environmental stress plays a role in my own state of mind. You agree. Don't you?
I believe people who starve dogs to death don't deserve to eat. How cruel could a person be. Its incomprehensible how disgusting and violent people could be to a pet that gives love and friendship.
this is despicable crime. this woman should do time for what she did. why didn't she just take the dog to a humane society center anywhere in brevard county and give the animal a chance at life rather than a horribly cruel death. what kind of person would commit such a cruel and heinous crime ? i think it is one that needs to set the precedence for being incarcarated for a long time. maybe that will help just a little bit whenever someone else thinks about doing something like this. don't do the crime, if you can't do the time. but first, we need to have a law to make it a CRIME.
it's too painful for words
I support Ella. Hope she is loved in heaven.
I cannot believe there is any question as to the severity of this animal abuse case and further cannot believe it would take public outrage to bring Christine Abrams to justice. Carol Parker
I'm appalled on a daily basis at the voracity of animal abuse I witness in Florida. Making animals bake in backyards the hot Florida sun with no water, forcing them to burn their tender paws on scalding hot pavement or lie on searing truck beds while the vehicle is roaring down I-95 @ 70+ MPH. I'm basically a less governmental laws kind of person, but I'm morally obligated in this case. We need tougher animal anti-cruelty laws, the muscle to enforce them and more voices for those who can't speak for themselves. Domestic, feral or wild, they're all God's creatures, great and small.
la cruauté des hommes est-elle sans bornes ? tant de souffrances, d'abandons, de tortures..., cela me révolte et me dégoute chaque jour un peu plus ! je souhaite de tout coeur que le statut légal des animaux change enfin, et que de tels actes de cruauté soient enfin punis comme ils le mériteraient !
