Cobb County

18-year-olds charged with beating two turtles to death

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Two 18-year-olds face felony charges in Cobb County. They are accused of beating two turtles to death.

Cobb County Animal Services Director, Steve Hammond, said it looked like they took pleasure in killing the freshwater red-eared slider turtles.

“They spent about 21 minutes killing these two turtles,” Hammond said.

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Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell had exclusive surveillance video showing the timeline of events that took place before the suspects beat the two turtles in Kennesaw.

Police said the video shows the accused teens, Micah Mack and DeShawn Beatty, walking along a trail to get rocks after they dragged the turtles from a lake by a fishing line.

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Another video showed the suspects around the turtles picking up rocks. Investigators said that in that video, the accused teens were using the rocks to hit the turtles.

“In many of the things that we see, we look at the links to other crimes and animal cruelty can be a steppingstone to those other crimes,” Hammond said.

Witnesses and video evidence help investigators find the suspects.

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Michele Newell

Michele Newell, WSB-TV Cobb County Bureau Chief

Michele Newell is a four-time Emmy award-winning reporter. She joined the WSB-TV team as a general assignment reporter in November 2021. She was promoted to Cobb County Bureau Chief five months later

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