WOOSTER, Ohio — A man who admitted to killing 17 cats using a makeshift gas chamber has been sentenced to six months of probation.
The case, first reported by News 5, has drawn significant attention from the community.
RELATED: Wooster man sentenced in animal cruelty case involving homemade gas chamber
Walter Schworm, of Wooster, pleaded guilty Monday to five counts of cruelty to companion animals and one count of petty theft.
As part of his sentence, he wrote a letter to the victim, paid fines, will serve six months of probation, and is prohibited from allowing cats on his property.
Police were called to Schworm’s house in May after he told a neighbor, Courtney Holden-Parr, that he killed her cat.
Body camera footage obtained by News 5 provides a closer look at the details of the case.
Schworm told police he used a CO2 gas chamber he borrowed from a local exterminator, who believed it was to be used for raccoons or skunks.
In one video clip, Schworm describes how Bean died.
“Bean got in my back porch, and I caught him and dropped him in the cooler and turned the gas on for about two minutes,” Schworm said in the footage.
Schworm also admitted to killing several kittens, saying, “I had three sets of kittens in the house. The kittens were all less than a week old, so I put them down in that same cooler.”
Police described Schworm’s home as resembling a cat sanctuary, complete with food, toys, and shelter for the animals.
He says he cared for the cats because local shelters were full, and he could not bear to see them starve.
“If other people turn cats loose and don’t have them fixed, they just keep breeding,” Schworm told police. “I don’t like to see animals starving to death.”
However, Judge Michael Rickett criticized Schworm during sentencing for enabling the situation by feeding the cats.
“You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that if you feed cats, they will come around,” Rickett said.
Courtney spoke in court, saying she wanted to ensure Schworm could not harm any more animals.
“I don’t want to see Walter go to jail because of the circumstances of his age,” Holden said. “I just want to make sure he never has access to another cat or hurts another cat.”
The judge acknowledged Schworm had attempted to surrender the cats to local shelters but was turned away due to capacity issues.
As part of his probation, Schworm has removed cat bowls from his yard and added lattice around his house to prevent cats from gathering.
The judge warned Schworm that if he fed cats again, he could face jail time.
News 5 spoke with Schworm outside his home in Wooster.
He says he regrets doing what he did and that he got overwhelmed because of money being tight.
He also showed our crew he removed food bowls and installed lattice on the front of his home to discourage cats from hiding under it.
