CALAIS – The trial of three teens who allegedly tortured and killed a neighbor’s cat is expected to begin at the end of February.

Charged with aggravated cruelty to animals in the Sept. 23 incident are: Ted MacArthur, 16, Brent C. Carlow, 16, and John B. Dewar II, 14, all of Baileyville.

The three teens were charged after Baileyville police determined they had killed a cat owned by Michelle Gallant and her family. Pepper, the cat, was 15 years old.

“She went with them because she trusted them,” Gallant told the Bangor Daily News at the time. “She was a loving part of our family. She deserved more than this.”

Assistant District Attorney Joelle Pratt said Monday that the juveniles had been “charged with what would be a felony in the adult world,” which was why their names had been made public.

Pratt, who said she did not plan to address the specifics of the case, said that what made the crime aggravated cruelty was the individuals had to “manifest a depraved indifference to animal life or suffering and then have to intentionally, knowingly or recklessly either cause extreme physical pain, kill or physically torture the animal.”

If an adult were convicted of the crime it would carry a maximum penalty of five years, but Pratt said a juvenile can only be sentenced to 30 days in jail. “If you want to try and do anything more than 30 days you have to do what is called an indeterminate sentence which means they have to go to the Maine Youth Center and they have to go through whatever program they are assigned when they get there. The program depends upon what you are charged with and history, and you have to complete several requirements or you’re not going to get out,” she said. Juveniles can be sentenced to the youth center up to the age of 21 years old.

The trial, which is expected to begin on Feb. 28 in 4th District Court in Calais, will be open to the public.

Soon after the incident, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals weighed in on the issue.

In a letter to District Attorney Michael Povich last year, PETA officials described how the cat died.

“A complainant told our office that at least two of the defendants bludgeoned Pepper with a metal pole before slitting her throat, repeatedly stabbing her and dropping a rock on her head,” the letter said. “According to news sources, the accused then discarded her remains in a Dumpster.”

PETA has asked the district attorney that in addition to a period of detention, the three boys undergo thorough psychiatric evaluations followed by mandatory counseling.

“Young people who harm animals are a threat to society and Washington County authorities must send a strong message that violence in the community will not be swept under the rug,” PETA cruelty caseworker Kristin DeJournett said in a memo to the BDN last year. “Given the strong connection between cruelty to animals and other forms of violence, it is imperative for everyone’s sake that this case be taken seriously.”

Robert Ressler, founder of the FBI’s behavioral sciences unit, described serial killers and other psychopathic torturers of people as “the kids who never learned it’s wrong to poke out a puppy’s eyes” the PETA memo to the BDN said.

According to PETA, animal cruelty could lead to other adult criminal behavior. “Mental health professionals and top law enforcement officials consider animal abuse to be a red flag,” PETA said. “Experts agree that it is the severity of the behavior – not the species of the victim – that matters.

PETA also recommended that the defendants be barred from contact with all animals and that the welfare of any animals that remained in their families’ respective custody be “immediately secured.”