Court-appointed advocates make an impact on animal cruelty cases in Connecticut
In 2012, the body of a boxer mix named Desmond was found in a garbage bag near a lake outside New Haven, Connecticut.
His owner, Alex Wullaert, was accused of beating, strangling and discarding the dog. He was charged with felony cruelty to animals but was permitted to enter an accelerated rehabilitation program in exchange for no jail time. His record would be expunged after two years upon successful completion of the program with no new offenses.
Zilla Cannamela was outraged when she heard about Desmond.
She wasn’t alone. Cannamela says her cousin took part in protests calling for harsher penalties for Wullaert. Cannamela is a survivor of domestic violence and says her own dog had been shot and killed in retaliation for her leaving her abuser.
Desmond’s supporters were outraged over the case and the outcome and decided “there had to be something else that could be done,” Cannamela says. They hoped to enact systemic change, and for the next three years, they helped push for a new law that would give courts a better way to address animal cruelty.
Their efforts paid off in May 2016, when Connecticut passed Desmond’s Law, which allows judges to appoint volunteer attorneys or supervised law students to “represent the interests of justice” in animal cruelty and neglect cases. As part of their role, these advocates conduct research and review records, collaborate with veterinarians and local law enforcement, write briefs and make recommendations to the court about things such as charging, sentencing and probation conditions.
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Joyce Glass (in black) kneels outside Meriden Superior Court in 2024 with Desmond’s Army and K-9 dog John. (Photo courtesy of Joyce Glass)
Since 2017, Cannamela has been the president of Desmond’s Army, a nonprofit organization that tracks animal cruelty cases in Connecticut and notifies advocates when they can get involved. Its members also attend court proceedings and work to raise awareness of the connection between animal cruelty and other forms of violence.
Legal effects
In the 10 years since the law’s passage, Desmond’s Army has documented the impact advocates have had on animal cruelty cases in Connecticut.
The group released a report in December that covers 533 cases from October 2016 through June 2025. According to the report, 171 advocates were appointed in these cases. Of those, 89 were pro bono attorneys, and 82 were from the University of Connecticut School of Law’s Animal Law Clinic.
Nearly 37% of the animal cruelty cases involved violent crimes, and nearly 80% of those violent crimes involved domestic violence, the report shows. Only about 12% of defendants were charged with felonies.
In the 33 felony cases with appointed advocates, nine resulted from increased charges for the defendant, the report also shows. In comparison, only one of 23 felony cases without an advocate resulted from increased charges.
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Joyce Glass.
“What happens a lot of times in Connecticut is the case will be charged as a misdemeanor, and once it gets to court, we have more information than we had when it was charged, and it meets the definition of a felony,” says Joyce Glass, a pro bono attorney and a co-author of the report.
Advocates have been valuable in cases where they can assist with the investigation and ensure “the court is aware of all of the information,” Glass adds. She lives in North Carolina but is admitted in Connecticut and has served as an advocate under Desmond’s Law.
Among the other findings from Desmond’s Army’s report is that 63% of the felony cases with an advocate resulted in a jail sentence for the defendant. Meanwhile, 25% of felony cases without an advocate resulted in a jail sentence.
Connecticut attorney Charlie Farfaglia has served as an advocate in about 10 cases under Desmond’s Law since 2023.
In a recent case, Robert Champion was sentenced to multiple years in prison after shooting and killing his girlfriend’s dog during a domestic dispute. He had faced several initial charges, including a misdemeanor cruelty to animals charge.
Farfaglia advocated for that charge to be upgraded to a felony, which Champion pleaded guilty to, he says.
“A lot of what you do is try to keep the animal cruelty charges as important charges as opposed to letting them get bargained away,” Farfaglia says.
Farfaglia also has advocated in his cases for specific conditions of probation, including that a defendant cannot have unsupervised contact with animals for a certain period or must reimburse a veterinary facility for the care provided to an animal victim.
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Charles Farfaglia. (Photo by K. Radziunas)
“Animal cruelty cases can be complicated,” Farfaglia says. “Your aim as an advocate should be justice for the animal, for other victims and for the overall community.”
Desmond’s Law only applies to dogs and cats. Supporters in Connecticut now are working to expand its coverage to all companion animals, including rabbits, birds and other household pets. The proposed bill is pending before the state’s legislature.
According to Desmond’s Army, 40% of animal victims in the cases covered in its recent report were not dogs or cats.
Several other states, including Illinois, New Jersey and Florida, have considered or introduced legislation based on Desmond’s Law. In 2019, Maine enacted Franky’s Law, which also allows judges to appoint volunteer lawyers and law students to advocate for victims in animal cruelty cases.
School is in session
Law students in the University of Connecticut School of Law’s Animal Law Clinic also benefit from Desmond’s Law because it gives them the opportunity to gain practical courtroom experience.
Jessica Rubin, the director of the Animal Law Clinic, not only supervises law students but volunteers as an advocate herself in animal cruelty cases. Rubin says the clinic was formed because she and her students were being appointed as animal advocates as a result of Desmond’s Law, and she wanted to give them more intensive training. By her count, the clinic has been appointed in 215 cases.
Her students perform the same tasks as other advocates. This includes performing factual and legal research; participating in pretrial hearings, judicial conferences and negotiations; and presenting oral arguments to the court.
“There are other animal law clinics in the country, but UConn’s is the only one to do this kind of work,” says Rubin, who helped draft and elicit support for Desmond’s Law. “Students in the classroom setting learn the relevant law and skills. We spend a lot of time discussing and workshopping our cases and practicing what the students are then going to do in court.”
Wyatt Cote, a 3L at the University of Connecticut School of Law, participated in the Animal Law Clinic last semester. He gravitated toward the clinic because his family always had pets, and he knew it was something he would enjoy. He also wanted the rare opportunity to argue in front of a judge, he says.
“Being able to be another voice in the court was really interesting,” says Cote, who plans to clerk for a federal court and then work for legal aid after graduation. “It was definitely nerve-racking but very beneficial if you want to be a trial attorney.”
Law students in the clinic engage in all aspects of pretrial criminal advocacy, Rubin adds. This includes informal conversations with defendants, prosecutors and defense counsel, which she says is typically “much harder to come by in law school.”
“I feel like all of this experience gives our students a really good idea of what it’s like practicing law,” Rubin says.
See also:
Animal abuse and domestic violence can go hand in hand
Protect domestic violence survivors by protecting their pets, ABA House says
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