A St. Joseph County judge on Thursday allowed the pre-trial jail release of a man charged with killing four cats.
23-year-old Tyler Coday had been jailed since his March 31 arrest because he couldn’t post his $1,000 bond. Coday on Thursday had his initial appearance before Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Hurley, via video link from the jail.
Court records say Coday had greeted police at his Irish Hills apartment door and said he had been doing things and hearing things he "was not proud of," and "some cats were hurt." When officers asked him where the cats were, Coday said they were in the trash can, and they were dead.
His public defender, Jon Cristofeno, said this is his first criminal charge as an adult and asked Hurley to lower his bond. Jail records say he was released later Thursday on a promise to appear in court as ordered.
Deputy prosecutor Kristen Kocsis didn’t object to the bond reduction but since Coday said he was hearing voices, Kocsis asked that he be required to seek mental health care and stay away from any pets.
Coday faces four counts of torturing or mutilating a vertebrate animal, Level 6 felonies, and his next status hearing is set for May 29.
