Defense attorney calls kitten killer decision ‘just’

Published 6:30 am Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Attorney Lucas Beaty of Athens believes the Limestone County district attorney’s decision Monday not to prosecute Ronald Fraser Golden — an Athens man who killed 22 kittens in 2013 because he was angry at the world — was just.

As Golden’s trial was about to begin in Limestone County Circuit Court, District Attorney Brian Jones conceded a request by the defense to find Golden not guilty due to mental defect at the time the killings occurred.

“It was an unpopular thing that Brian did (Monday), but it was the just move,” Beaty told The News Courier. “I have my fair share of disagreements with him, but I admire his strength this morning.”

Golden would have faced a year in jail on each of the Class C felony counts if he had been convicted by a jury.

Jones told The News Courier Monday the case was clear.

“It was very clear that Golden was mentally ill at the time of the offenses, and it was very clear that a jury would reach the same conclusion,” he said.

There were two issues before the court Monday: 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 at the time of the incidents.

“We have been monitoring this case since 2013 to follow his compliance with the orders in his commitment,” Jones said. “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.”

The district attorney said the Golden case is similar in one way to the case of former Limestone County dog breeder Nan Hornbuckle Johnson.

Similar case

In 2012, Johnson was found not guilty by reason of mental defect in the 2010 starvation deaths of 43 dogs. Medical exams, testimony and emails between Johnson and a friend in Huntsville showed Johnson believed the devil was interfering in her life. She believed the devil was affecting even the dog food and veterinary supplies, preventing her from giving them to the dogs.

Jones said the two cases differ in that Golden has been following his treatment over the past 4 1/2 years while Johnson has not. (Records show she was charged with reckless endangerment in 2017 for allegedly driving her SUV into a neighbor.)

“You have an individual, who at the time of the offense, was so mentally ill that they could not understand that their conduct was wrong,” Jones said. “In contrast to Johnson, Golden got better.”

Golden’s next step

In 60 to 90 days, a hearing will be held regarding Golden’s treatment.

“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,” Jones said.

Community concern

Some members of the Limestone County community expressed concern about Golden via social media Monday. They believed the killing of animals could be a precursor to killing humans.

Beaty isn’t worried about his client posing a danger to the community. That the public sees him differently is “unfortunate,” he said.

“He has been free on bond since October 2013,” Beaty said. “He has been in counseling and meets regularly with his psychiatrist.”

In 2013, the Probate Court ordered Golden into an outpatient treatment program for 180 days, he said.

“He’s been complying now for 4 1/2 years on his own initiative, and will continue to do so,” Beaty said.

Golden had no criminal record before he was charged in the kitten killings.

Jones agrees Golden is better now then he was in 2013.

“The main reason this case has been pending since 2013 is the fact that we have been monitoring his progress through his mental health treatment,” the district attorney said. “By all appearances, he is more stable now with treatment than when he was arrested in 2013.”

Both Beaty and Jones said the upcoming hearing will determine if Golden is a danger to himself or others and for the court to determine what, if any, restrictions are necessary.

“When (Probate) Judge Charles Woodroof heard the matter in 2013, he determined based on the available testimony of his mental health professionals that Golden could live independently with medical treatment and care,” Jones said. “Since that time, Golden has not reoffended or failed to follow the treatment advice of his physicians.”

Short resources

The district attorney is aware how the closing of state mental hospitals and continued cuts to treatment programs for the mentally ill have left Limestone and other Alabama in dire straits.

“It is no secret that the state’s mental health resources are grossly deficient,” Jones said. “My goal as DA is to assure that sufficient safeguards are in place that Golden will not be a danger to himself or to others while making best use of the resources we have available.”

Golden case

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.

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.