Man kills his cats, claims he'd do it again, charges state


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SALT LAKE CITY — A man accused of killing one kitten because it bit him and critically injuring a second kitten before leaving it in a box in a field to die, allegedly told police he’d do it again.

Jordan Michael Hagen, 27, of Salt Lake City, was charged Thursday in 3rd District Court with two counts of torture of a companion animal, a third-degree felony.

On Aug. 18, Hagen asked his roommate if he had any hydrogen peroxide. When the roommate inquired as to why he needed it, Hagen said he “had killed his kitten and there was a lot of blood,” according to charging documents.

The roommate went into Hagen’s room and found one dead kitten and a second “injured and immobilized beyond salvation,” the charges state. The roommate later told police that one kitten was buried and the other left “in a box in a field,” according to the charges.

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When interviewed by police, Hagen said he was cleaning the kitten’s teeth when the animal bit him. He responded by hitting the cat “an unknown number of times,” the charges state. He then followed the bleeding kitten into his bedroom as it tried to get away and killed it, the charges state.

Hagen then grabbed the second kitten and threw it, possibly breaking its spine, according to charging documents. He also admitted to choking both kittens multiple times in the past, the charges state. According to a Salt Lake County Jail report, Hagen “used the body of the dead kitten to beat the other kitten into paralysis.”

Hagen had also told his roommate “that he needed to get rid of (the kittens) for their safety,” according to the report.

When speaking to police, “suspect openly admitted to his actions and claimed that he has done it before and may do it again,” the report states.

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Pat Reavy is a longtime police and courts reporter. He joined the KSL.com team in 2021, after many years of reporting at the Deseret News and KSL NewsRadio before that.

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