UT Dallas student sentenced to more than 6 years in prison for torturing cats

HUNT COUNTY, Texas - A North Texas man was sentenced to six and a half years in prison after he was caught on camera torturing a cat.

A family in Quinlan called Hunt County Sheriff's deputies after they noticed their two cats being injured in "odd and sometimes severe ways," according to the SPCA.

One cat was injured to the point where it needed to be euthanized, so the family set up a camera in their home.

On the camera, they saw Shubhankar Kawle torturing their cat, Nimbus, over the course of 5 hours.

Shubhankar Kawle (Source: Hunt County Jail)

The animal eventually needed to be euthanized as well due to the injuries.

Kawle was arrested in October 2021 at the University of Texas at Dallas where he was a student.

In court, the video was played for the jury.

"Torturing an animal is inhumane and illegal, and what Mr. Kawle did to Nimbus was not only horrific and heartbreaking, but one of the single worst cases of animal torture I’ve seen in my career," said SPCA of Texas Chief Investigator Courtney Burns in a statement.

The now 28-year-old Kawle was found guilty of Cruelty to Non-Livestock Animals, which is a third-degree felony.

He was immediately taken into custody.