The man from Beaumont, Texas, who admitted to kicking a cat that was later set on fire, has been given a prison sentence of over three years. Donaldvan Williams, 30, received a 40-month prison term after pleading guilty to animal crushing and aiding and abetting in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. Williams’ lawyer did not respond to requests for comments on the matter.
Authorities revealed that federal prosecutors collaborated with state prosecutors in Texas to determine whether to pursue charges in state or federal court. According to spokesperson Davilyn Walston, the decision was influenced by the severity of the offenses, with state penalties often being less severe in cases of extreme cruelty.
Williams faced a potential minimum sentence of two years if prosecuted under Texas statutes concerning animal cruelty or torture. Instead, he was charged under the federal Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act, which criminalizes harming animals and the production of videos depicting animal cruelty.
Court documents detailed that Williams and Decorius Mire encountered the cat in a parking lot in October 2021. Williams kicked the animal like a football while Mire recorded the incident on his cellphone and later shared it on social media. Subsequently, another individual, not identified, set the cat on fire shortly after it was kicked a distance of 15-20 feet.
Mire, who was also involved in the incident, pleaded guilty alongside Williams as part of an agreement and was sentenced in July 2023 to 18 months in prison.