Wednesday, March 6th 2024, 5:21 pm
The man accused of killing pet store animals expected a deferred sentence on Wednesday but got a surprise in court.
The Judge had other plans for Christopher Jameson, rejecting his plea agreement with the state. Judge Cindy Truong said in her 14 years on the bench this is the first time she’s ever rejected a plea agreement with the state.
The 20-year-old is charged with killing four animals from a pet store in NW Oklahoma City last July. Police said they found a parakeet with its neck snapped, a rabbit that had been smothered, and a hamster that had been stomped to death in the store's parking lot. Court documents show after killing the three animals at the store, Jameson stole a Guinee pig. That animal was found dead at Mitch Park.
After Jameson was charged with two counts of felony cruelty to animals last August, Crystal Slocum with the Oklahoma City Animal Welfare had this to say.
“Looking at them, looking at the pictures it's obvious they probably suffered a traumatic death and that’s very sad,” Slocum said last year.
Jameson pleaded guilty and was required to complete an in-custody mental health program. It was part of a plea agreement with the state that would’ve given him a deferred sentence of 7 years.
Instead, Judge Truong called the case “appalling” and said the sentence was too lenient, so she rejected the deal as a matter of public safety.
She said she wants the defendant to undergo a psychiatric evaluation so she can “see what’s going on in his head.”
Jameson’s attorney said the court is bound to the plea deal accepted by the state and that his client did what was requested of him.
The court will order a psychiatric evaluation and the case will be continued to April 19.
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