A 52-year-old Columbia woman was sentenced to 74 days in prison Friday for a 2006 animal cruelty case in which more than 70 dead and dying cats were seized from her Owen Brown condominium.

Nese Enetullah Icgoren, of the 7300 block of Swan Point Way, was convicted in April by Judge Diane Leasure of multiple counts of animal cruelty.
In handing down her sentence Friday, Leasure essentially sentenced Icgoren to a day in jail for each cat found in the condo.

“It was a horrible situation by any description,” Leasure said. “It was deplorable.”

When animal control officials raided the Owen Brown condo on Aug. 10, 2006, they found piles of feces, an overwhelming stench of urine and dead and dying cats throughout the home, according to charging documents.

Prior to sentencing, Icgoren addressed the court and apologized for her behavior. She blamed her failure to make sure the cats were not properly treated on her inability to stand up to her mother, Ayten Icgoren, who lived with her in Owen Brown.

Ayten Icgoren, 81, was convicted of multiple counts of animal cruelty in 2008 and sentenced earlier this year to six months in prison, based on the same raid.

“I wish I was stronger. I wish I was more persistent with my mother,” Nese Icgoren said. “She doesn’t listen to me no matter how much I insist.

“For the cats I wish I could have done more but I couldn’t,” she added.

She also said that if cats could speak they would testify on her behalf that, “I did what I could for them.”

Ayten Icgoren was in court Friday to speak on her daughter’s behalf. She said that in her native Turkish culture it was unthinkable for a daughter to disobey her parents.

“My daughter couldn’t do anything, I’m a stubborn person,” she said.

John Christopher Belcher, Icgoren’s attorney, said he had hoped that Leasure would not sentence Icgoren to prison, considering her history of loving animals.

He said Icgoren had lived around animals her entire life and had been a show jumper in horse competitions. She lived for a long time on a farm in southern Virginia, where she had been surrounded by animals and cared for them, he said.

He also said Nese Icgoren was psychologically dependent on her mother and therefore couldn’t be held culpable.

But Assistant State’s Attorney Devora Pontell, who prosecuted the case, argued that neighbors needed to be reassured that their peace of mind would not be disturbed again by any health hazard the Icgoren’s house posed.

“You have a right to live in your residence undisturbed by other people,” she said.

She added that Nese Icgoren was the owner of the condo and therefore responsible for it.

Pontell also noted that there is currently one cat living in the Icgorens’ condo and asked the judge to order that the cat be removed.

“I don’t think there should be any cats in that residence at all,” she said.

Leasure, however, said the cat could stay in the residence provided it was spayed or neutered.

After the judge’s ruling, Pontell said she agreed with the sentence, calling a day in jail for each of the cats seized "equitable."

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user comments (2)

user elkmain says...

For this you go to prison, but murdering your own child by leaving it in a hot vehicle all day is OK? No prison term for those neglectful parents! When did a cat become more important than a human being? Makes me want to throw up. It's just a damn cat people!!!

Posted 10:47 AM, 08.15.09 | Permalink

user whatever says...

I don't agree with the comment that it's "just a cat".One of the first signs of someone whose a serial killer or mental disturbed is someone who abuses or harms animals. You can argue it's "just a cat",but that cat will quickly become a person if no one is there to set boundries for these crazies.

Posted 10:27 PM, 08.19.09 | Permalink