An Athens man accused of killing kittens he bought online in 2013 was found not guilty today of 22 counts of animal cruelty.

Ronald F. Golden, 52, was scheduled to be tried today in Limestone County Circuit Court but the Limestone County District Attorney’s Office conceded a request by the defense to find him not guilty due to his mental defect. He had undergone a mental evaluation sometime after the incident and was deemed suitable to stand trial. 

Jones told The News Courier there were two issues before the court this morning: A defense request to suppress statements made by Golden at the time of his arrest because he was mentally ill, and the pending trial in which the defense would claim Golden was not guilty by mental disease or defect.

“We have been operating under a court order since 2013 wherein the Probate Court found Golden mentally ill and  ordered him to outpatient commitment,” Jones said. “We have been monitoring this case since 2013 to follow his compliance with the orders in his commitment. When this case was called for trial, the decision was made that the mental health authorities would have a better chance at dealing with Golden’s condition or conditions as opposed to the criminal system. As such, the state conceded the defendant’s plea of not guilty by mental disease or defect.”

In two or three months, a hearing will be held regarding  Golden’s treatment, Jones said.

“At that hearing, mental health professionals will testify whether or not Golden needs to be placed in a secure medical facility because he is a danger to himself or others, or whether he should continue the mental health treatment he has been receiving since 2013.”

Accusation

Golden was accused of buying kittens on Craigslist and then killing them in his home at 106 Bullington Road. He told investigators at the time he was “angry at the world” and had been killing the kittens since July 2013. If convicted, he would have faced a year in jail on each of the Class C felony counts.

On Sept. 24, 2013, Athens police received a report of dead kitten carcasses found in the area of Bullington Road, Police Chief Floyd Johnson said at the time of Golden’s arrest. During the investigation, police received an anonymous tip that Golden was killing the kittens. Six days later, Golden told investigators he bought kittens on Craigslist, the online classified advertising website, named the kittens and then killed them. He told investigators he had a “cat room” where he would throw the kittens against the floor to break their necks, stomp on them or “wring their necks,” Johnson said.

Investigators obtained consent from Golden to search his property and found five dead kittens in a brushy area at the back of his property. There were also two kittens named Melvin and Mia and two dogs found alive.

“Investigators searched the inside of the home and found blood spatter on the walls and floor,” Johnson said.

A jury pool had been summoned to the courthouse in Athens this morning but they were released following the agreement between the prosecution and defense.