HomeCrimeFlorida woman sentenced for animal cruelty cat deaths

Florida woman sentenced for animal cruelty cat deaths

Michelline Joy Toulouse appears inset against an image from a local news station showing her apartment where several dozen cats were found abandoned, starving, and dead in May 2021.

Michelline Joy Toulouse appears inset against an image of her apartment where several dozen cats were found abandoned, starving, and dead in May 2021. (Broward County Corrections; Screengrab via WSVN)

A Florida woman who locked away 63 cats in a dizzying state of neglect and filth will now spend several years behind bars.

Michelline Joy Toulouse, 39, pleaded no contest to 12 charges of aggravated animal cruelty in September. On Wednesday, after hours of testimony, she was sentenced to three years in state prison to be followed by 10 years of probation to deal with mental health and drug issues. The court also sentenced her to 500 hours of community service with a trash cleanup organization. And, she will be barred from owning animals for the duration of her time under state supervision, according to the Broward State Attorney’s Office.

Toulouse was, at one time, facing up to 60 years in prison.

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