A San Antonio man who was charged with animal cruelty after a surveillance camera captured him killing a kitten has been sentenced to five years community supervision.
Ryan Berlanga, 31, turned himself in after he was caught on camera strangling a gray-and-white tabby kitten at a Southwest Side apartment complex on Nov. 9, 2025.
Berlanga pleaded no contest to a charge of cruelty to non-livestock animals, a third-degree felony, according to court documents. He asked for probation.
Judge Miguel Najera, who presides over Bexar County Pre-Indictment Court No. 1, sentenced him to five years of community supervision, a type of probation.
San Antonio police officers were called to an apartment complex after a resident found a dead gray-and-white kitten on a stairwell between the second and third floors. Officers found blood on the stairwell landing and on the kitten’s right ear, according to an arrest affidavit.
Police were given video from residents that showed a man who later was identified as Berlanga chasing a kitten and grabbing it with both hands.
Investigators said a loud screech from the kitten was audible and the kitten’s tail could be seen flailing through the stairwell railing as the man appeared to press down on the animal.
The case sparked outrage in the community with a nonprofit cat advocacy group offering a $10,000 reward for information related to the incident. Days later, Berlanga turned himself in.
In addition to probation, Berlanga was ordered to complete 120 hours of community service.