Nathaniel Rogers Truitt, a 23-year-old resident of Johnston County, North Carolina, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison and an additional 10 years of supervised release for receipt of child pornography. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan in New Bern.
Court documents show that the investigation began after the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office responded to a domestic violence incident involving Truitt. During the investigation, a family member discovered videos depicting Truitt torturing and killing the family cat. Truitt admitted to recording himself killing the animal at the request of an online stranger and also confessed to killing stray cats and performing sexual acts with their bodies as directed by someone on the internet.
A search of Truitt’s digital devices by law enforcement uncovered both child sexual abuse material and videos of animal cruelty. State charges related to crimes against nature and cruelty to animals are still pending against him.
W. Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, announced the sentencing following its conclusion. The case was investigated by the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charity Wilson and Ashley Foxx serving as prosecutors.
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