Tyler Weinman must feel like he has nine lives.
The teen accused of killing and mutilating dozens of cats in South Miami-Dade is a free man after prosecutors dropped all 19 charges of animal cruelty against him Wednesday.
Prosecutors, who initially alleged Weinman was the sinister mastermind behind the dead cats, now say tests conclude another animal was responsible for the deaths.
Despite very little evidence connecting Weinman to the killings except that he lived near the Palmetto Bay neighborhood, prosecutors and police dogged the 19-year-old until they could finally arrest him on circumstantial evidence.
Police said scratches on Weinman's body and cutting tools found in his room proved the teen was the cat hater.
Forensic evidence proved otherwise. Several experts who examined the cat carcasses concluded they were skinned by an animal predator.
Miami-Dade Police didn't appear to happy with the State Attorney's Office decision to drop the charges.
Local
"The Miami-Dade Police Department continues to support the evidence in the Tyler Weinman criminal investigation, despite the recent Nolle Prosequi decision," a statement said.
But if Weinman didn't kill those felines, then what type of animal did?
None of the bodies appeared to have been eaten and some of the cats were neatly placed in their owners' yards. Some were even found on porches and doorsteps.
