Monday, February 4, 2013

Michigan man accused of burning dog alive in woodstove..

http://www.examiner.com/article/michigan-man-accused-of-burning-dog-alive-woodstove


Michigan man accused of burning dog alive in woodstove.

On Sunday, the Midland Daily News published a story about a Midland County, Mich., man who is accused of a truly heinous crime.
Reed Mathew Compton, 39, is facing felony charges of killing or torturing animals after he allegedly placed a still alive dog inside of a wood-burning stove.
NEWS STORY LINK:
http://www.ourmidland.com/police_and_courts/article_6db35f4b-1be3-5254-a527-a479cfb3e217.html

PETITION:
http://www.causes.com/actions/1729572-punish-reed-mathew-compton-accused-of-burning-pet-dog-to-death-in-wood-stove

51 comments:

  1. This afternoon I walked home with a friend and his Pomeranian puppy. It was a cold and clear day and the pup thoroughly enjoyed her romp across campus and then a park. I came home to a warm welcome (and the 'Where have you been?' meow) of my 7 month old kitten. To think that either of these two sweet creatures should be tortured is unthinkable. I hope that this felon is prosecuted to the limit of the law!

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    1. The limit is not high enough, 6 years for both and 6 in my book means 6 and I hope he's tortured in prison every day. WAKE UP JUDGE WE WANT THE LAWS CHANGED NOW, how many more have got to suffer and die and these evil people get away with it.

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    2. I agree with everyone. The cruelty that goes on is beyond understanding, but even worse, the abuser is probably enjoying all the attention. He is a very sick individual, ignorant and without morals or a conscience and will eventually escalate his abuse to people if he hasn't already done so. The laws must change, and they must be enforced and the punishments increased. How about a good old fashioned flogging? I really don't have a pat answer as there are millions of people out there. I think one of the best things to do at this point is if you see abuse, don't walk by. If you fear for your own safety, get others involved, call every shelter in the county and surrounding counties, call friends/family, every animal lover you know. Put a notice in the newspaper about the abuse. Call attention and let people know.

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  2. Bring back mental health institutes. Most of these people are not fully aware of what they do - they need to be kept out of integration: it may give them independence but at what cost? I am not just referring to animals but also innocent people too.

    Better these people be cared for under supervision than out in the open to do things that may harm themselves other people and animals. Punishment / education will not change them.

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    1. Let me enlighten you Anji, I have a persistant depressive disorder and anxiety disorder and this is not a case of mental illness, it's a case of right and wrong. I know what is right, this was evil deed. He knew what he had done, his father knew, he could hear the dog in pain and walked away, calling the mental health was an excuse, and I say burn them both, the world would be better off without them both.
      As that won't happen a message of a longer prison sentences and bigger fines would hit them where it hurts. I have been rescuing cats all my life, when I've felt I couldn't cope, I have had them rehomed until i have recovered. I also work with charities signing petitions and fundraising, I have probably seen more torture and death in one week than you have in your life, so I don't want to be in an institution thanks all the same. Most of these deeds are done by evil people, we all have bad in us it depends on whether you give into it. Most people in my position, are the other end of the spectrum, and abhor cruelty to animals or humans, but God help you if you ever have a mental health problem, you won't know whats hit you, it's a debilitating disease. In olden days, they would receive electric shock treatment, and drilling holes in the brain while you were awake, if that had happened to me I would have committed suicide and none of the animals I have helped would have been rescued, alive or have new homes.

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    2. Anji ~ You are absolutely correct. So many mental patients were released to fend for themselves in society when they're unable to do so. While the history of Reed Matthew Compton isn't given, apparently his own father is frightened of him. He has paranoid schizophrenia, "Paranoid schizophrenia is one of several types of schizophrenia, a chronic mental illness in which a person loses touch with reality (psychosis). The classic features of paranoid schizophrenia are having delusions and hearing things that aren't real."

      Comparing a depressive disorder and anxiety disorder with paranoid schizophrenia is like comparing cancer with acne. Plus, having a mental illness does not give anyone the right to diagnose anyone else. This is best left up to the experts handling the case and Mr. Reed's mental illness.

      I, too, am mentally ill. I suffer from severe depression, panic disorder, and anxiety disorder. I also love animals and was sickened to read about what happened to this poor dog. However, I would never purport to know what is best for Mr. Reed, but it seems that he is out of touch with reality.

      We need to act with intelligence in our world, as well as kindness and empathy. Jailing this man will not help his mental illness, nor bring a solution to the problem of the severely mentally ill living among us. THAT is what we need to be fighting for in this particular case. I think that the father really was frightened, as he must know what his son is capable of. He got himself to safety and then called the authorities. It's not as if he did nothing.

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    3. *sigh* Paranoid schizophrenia is wildly different from depression and anxiety. Yes, they both come under the heading "mental illness" but that's about where it ends. Was this guy unable to comprehend right or wrong due to his mental illness? I don't know. Only someone who has evaluated the man can know. Most people with paranoid schizophrenia still have their moral reasoning facilities intact. Is it more likely that a paranoid schizophrenic will have difficulty telling right from wrong due to their mental illness than a person with depression will have difficulty telling right from wrong due to their mental illness? Yes. Could treatment have prevented this? Maybe. Maybe not. Is it worth curtailing the civil rights of many people with mental illness to prevent a small number of them from doing horrible things? No, not in my opinion. Is it cruel to put a man who is too mentally ill to understand right from wrong into prison without treatment? Yes. Is it cruel to lock him up and give him appropriate treatment after he's done something like this? No. We put down rabid dogs to protect others. We lock up people who are dangerous to protect others. That's necessary. Unfortunate, but necessary.

      I do think that his dad should have called 911 from the nearest available phone rather than going all the way home and calling mental health first, but it's hard to make those calls in the heat of the moment, especially if one's spent a great deal of time listening to mental health professionals tell one *not* to call the cops on one's mentally ill family member. (For fear of police mistreatment making the family member worse, among other things)

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    4. Thank you for saying exactly what I was thinking, Anji, Joanne1225, and wd.

      I don't know all the details that led to this truly horrific criminal act. However, it is evident - by this crime and many others (mass shootings, etc) - that there is a huge hole in our justice/health/social system/s that does not adequately address helping potentially dangerous mentally ill people who are at risk of committing tragic acts of violence and other crimes.

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    5. Yes, much - maybe most - of the horrific deads we see in the news can be linked to various degrees of untreated, unaccounted for mental illness. Let's not forget how we got into this mess. Politics notwithstanding, we can trace it back to the 1970's movement to close mental hospitals in favor of "community based" care and integration of the mentally ill into the general population - a policy shift started by Ronald Reagan in California. We now have a huge homeless population in all major urban areas composed almost entirely of those in need of various treatments that are basically unavailable: including the mentally ill and hard-core substance abusers. It's a monster of our own creation. I think we can all see that this supposed "cost saving" policy has been a terrible failure! Mental hospitals need to be expanded and improved, which will be costly, indeed. But the alternative is absolutely unacceptable.

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  3. Wait...so the father was standing right there while the dog was burning in the wood stove and HE LEFT? I say press charges against BOTH men. One for doing it and the other for doing nothing to stop it.
    I swear...people really need psychiatric help. This poor dog. I wonder how long it will be before he does this to a person.

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    1. You are the only one making a sensible comment here.Where are the remains of the dog for proof this really happened? Yes to your questioning this issue,why DID the father not look inside the stove? and why did he leave?I am not going to sign without some kind of proof. it makes me sick to even think of this.If this really happened and the person who did this is a sick man, why wasnt he being supervised?

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    2. The whole story is sick and sad.I don't know,but from that picture, it looks like that paw was the only thing left.

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    3. Have you ever had to confront a family member with both severe mental illness and a history of violence? I have a family member whom I would have left and called 911 from the nearest available phone, after I was safe. The reason being that I know very well that I might have been stuffed in the wood stove with the dog otherwise. Supervision is available for those who are severely unable to care for themselves (i.e. end up in the hospital due to malnutrition, dehydration, etc) but not for those who are violent. My family member has gone to hospitals and told them "If you don't put me in a psych ward now, I will hurt and maybe kill (WD)", but that wasn't enough. He had to actually put me in a hospital before they would take him, they said.

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  4. YES ! This person needs to be held accountable for this horrendous act. YOU ! YOUR HONOR, it is up to YOU to make sure that you set an example here ! Remember, your Honor, there are a lot of people watching you on this one, and WE as CONCERNED people will follow through if you don't.
    Just think your Honor, if that poor dog was YOU ! and what you would want the Judge to do to your murderer !
    Thank you,
    Skip

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  5. I agree burning him alive may give him a perspective as to how it felt. I am sick sick of these sub humans roaming the earth. If I have a Please God prayer, I pray he takes them all and tosses them in hell!

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  6. I am just at a total loss for words....my heart is beyond aching for that helpless animal...what a HORRIBLE way to die.....I am all for eye for an eye on this one.....Makes me physically sick...RIP fur baby...You DID NOT deserve what this, cant even call him a human...waste of skin and air did to you :'(

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  7. very well said and until the justice system starts liberally throwing the book at them what hope does anybody or animal have. Not good enough

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  8. I agree with UNKNOWN. Let's get old time Biblical with these terrible "people."

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  9. only 4 years and $5'000 fine. NO he should be sent to prison for at least 20 years. and be given a $100.000 fine. and never be allowed to have an other animal period.

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  10. I cannot say enough! Pls take all of these ppl's comments and multiply them by thousands. Four yrs is not long enough either. There has to be forced psychatric care while hes in prison and plenty of community work when he comes out. Hes not crazy but needs lots of well chosen material to study and be tested on all the while in prison. Dear Lord what's gone wrong?

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  11. The Maximum penalty is still not enough. He should never be allowed to own any type of animal ever again for the rest of his life.

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    1. indeed but why should he have a life or his father, because his father is as heartless, he knew what he had done, he heard his cries and walked away, he is as guilty, burn them both!

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  12. an eye for an eye.....he should be burned alive.

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  13. I totally agree, I thought to myself "Dear God what is happening to this World". I PRAY that Mr. Reed Campton gets the book thrown at him ! He NEEDS to be put into an incinerator and BURNED ALIVE UNTIL HE"S DEAD !! He BETTER get Prosecuted to the FULLEST extent of the law, And even that will be not good enough for the SOB !!!!

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  14. He should burn in hell for what he did to that poor dog. He should go to prison and never be released. That's the problem with these sick sobs they get away with this..May the pup rest in peace. God bless his soul.

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  15. We need sronger animal abuse laws in our country.The max is not good enough for this monster.

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  16. This monster should get more than the max.Our country does not have strong enough laws or penalties to those that commit these horrible crimes to animals.

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  17. Only 4 years for burning a dog that is horrible

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    1. They say 4 years, but they will be out in 2, which is a disgrace and not justice for the poor animal, give them 6 and 6 should mean 6 years. Are you paying ATTENTION JUDGE!! THEIR LIVES MATTER.

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  18. He deserves the electric chair. Set to low to make him suffer the way he did the poor dog!

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  19. I strongly suspect, as a social worker, that this individual already had known mental health problems:
    a) rather than the more likely reaction of "Are you insane?!?!" or "Have you lost your mind?!?!" while he rushed to the wood burner to try to save the dog, the father was instead afraid- possibly that his son would turn his murderous tendency on him - and left.
    b) the father called mental health first and NOT police.
    c) the judge ordered a competency evaluation - how often do judges do that for the "normal" perpetrators of horrific acts of abuse/torture and death of animals? They don't.

    I'm in no way excusing what this individual did. It sickens me. As a social worker it also shows me, yet again, why our national mental health system needs much better funding.

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    1. Most people who have mental health problems now the difference between right and wrong, except those at the top of the scale who in my opinion are evil. Both of them knew what they had done, and the father just walked away, I'm fed up of blaming it on mental health problems, the world would be a better place if they both burned. Many people risk their lives to save others but he didn't even try, asshole.

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    2. My little puppy also suffered a terrible fate and we grieve terribly for her still. Please help us stop this from happening again.

      http://www.causes.com/actions/1728746-family-pet-tragically-killed-by-neighbor-lets-support-the-family-for-their-court-date?recruiter_id=186828132&utm_campaign=invite&utm_medium=wall&utm_source=fb&ref=nf

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    3. I truly hate ppl that kill small animals. My dog too suffered a terrible fate because of a heartless monster


      http://www.causes.com/actions/1728746-family-pet-tragically-killed-by-neighbor-lets-support-the-family-for-their-court-date?recruiter_id=186828132&utm_campaign=invite&utm_medium=wall&utm_source=fb&ref=nf

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  20. What WILL infuriate me even further is the thought that the punishment for this unspeakable crime is nothing more than a slap on the wrist.

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  21. The punishment for this dIsgustIngly awful crIme needs to be greater!!! We all need to stand up for the animals!!

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  22. The only way we can inforse this is to lay proof down that perps graduate to children. To campaignthe graduation as people can't turn away from that.

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  23. An eye for an eye, If I was God, vengence is mine and I'd repay, both are equally guilty and I'd burn them both. The world is better off without any evil deeds.

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  24. I agree that he should get the same treatment he gave his dog. No animal deserves this or human being for that matter but when u cross the line then u need to get what u deserve back. If he doesn't get the same treatment then I hope those in jail or prison get him. I am a breeder myself and couldn't even think or come to harming any animal let alone put them to sleep if they r suffering. This is a horrible act and he needs to be punished for his actions. 4 or 5 years is not enough for this creep. Rest in peace Miss Kitty.

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  25. Don't give these evil parasites a slap on the wrist!

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  26. Did it ever occur to anyone that perhaps the father was afraid of the son? I truly WISH that the father had made an attempt to rescue the dog, but it's entirely possible that he was too afraid to. Especially if the son was unpredictable and abusive towards the father as well as the dog. And I'm willing to bet that it is not mental illness at the core of this... just an abusive, controlling person.

    Sadly, I've been in the situation where I was too frightened for my own life to report an animal abuser who murdered a loving, trusting family pet in our possession and care. That was a couple of decades ago, and I have always regretted not being strong enough, brave enough, or capable of reporting that person.

    Nowadays, I have healed greatly from the abuse, which also included hurting me, and I don't hesitate to speak up these days. My pets are my family! And NOBODY gets away with hurting them! And yes, these days, I speak up for the abused when I see and hear of their plight!

    All I'm saying is, please don't judge the father in this case, unless you REALLY understand the situation from his viewpoint and not from your easy chair! If the father was in a situation, both physically and emotionally, where he was capable and willing to do something, then yes, I suppose he is culpable to some extent. But if he was terrified for himself as well...then please back off and just give him the kudos he deserves for turning his son in. Believe me, that step can be impossible when you are fearing for your own life as well as the life of the poor, unfortunate pet!

    Here's to hoping the pet murderer gets his just punishment for burning this dog to death! Although I doubt there is a politically correct punishment around that truly fits the crime for people like this.

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  27. http://www.causes.com/actions/1728746-family-pet-tragically-killed-by-neighbor-lets-support-the-family-for-their-court-date?recruiter_id=186828132&utm_campaign=invite&utm_medium=wall&utm_source=fb&ref=nf

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  28. http://www.causes.com/actions/1728746-family-pet-tragically-killed-by-neighbor-lets-support-the-family-for-their-court-date?recruiter_id=186828132&utm_campaign=invite&utm_medium=wall&utm_source=fb&ref=nf

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  29. perhaps someone should fire up the barbie, put this man on it (Let's use the term 'man' loosely), and let him know how it feels....then grab the marshmallows and roast them over him. There is no level of hell deep enough for a person like this.

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  30. It is completely beyond my comprehension how anyone with any sense of decency could hurt an animal, but this goes way beyond hurting it. The whole idea of what he did to that innocent dog makes me physically ill; it turns my stomach. There is no excuse - absolutely none! It's too bad we can't do the same thing to him. An eye for an eye.

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  31. The poor creatures that are abused and killed for, who knows what reason,are on the other side of Rainbow Bridge. No more suffering and only love and peace forever, but, they will be waiting to hear that those that did these things to them are punished and prevented from ever being able to do this to another living being, 4 legged OR 2! God did not create for man to destroy, but that seems to be the only thing some so called humans can do! They need to be put away where they can no longer do harm to anyone or thing, but maybe themselves! Let them feel what they have inflicted!

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  32. I think the whole case is cut and dry. This so called "human being" tortures and burns dogs in a wood stove. A small child would understand that this is unacceptable in a humane world. The maximum penalty for crimes like this isn't enough. A psycho like this thrives on evil deeds and there will be a next time only I am willing to bet that animal remains will not be the only remains you will find in his wood stove. Time to make an example of this evil person and put an end to animal cruelty. It is becoming an all too common practice especially with repeat offenders.

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  33. I think both of them should have the death penalty. have u seen the videos of the dogs in China being skinned alive and be still alive after the men are done with them....death to all animal abuser

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  34. We have adopted NUMEROUS dogs and cats to our Shelby, NC farm. (50 Acres, all fenced in) We also have 3 grown children and 6 grandchildren. As "empty nesters" now, Our critters are our children. REGARDLESS - This is HORRENDOUS & INEXCUSABLE on the parts of BOTH men! Just makes us sick. Incomprehensible to say the least. We will pray for justice!!! Jim & Lane - Shelby, NC


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