With nearly two dozen animal-welfare advocates looking on and more waiting in the hall Wednesday morning, Baltimore Circuit Judge Lynn K. Stewart set a trial date for teen-age twins Travers and Tremayne Johnson, who are accused of setting fire to a pit bull puppy in 2009, leading to the dog's death.
The 18-year-olds — one in custody on new attempted murder charges, the other free on bail in this case — are to appear Friday for a trial on animal cruelty and mutilation charges for allegedly dousing the pit bull, nicknamed Phoenix by rescue workers, with gasoline and setting her on fire. The dog was later euthanized.
The case has drawn national attention and outrage, along with calls for tougher treatment of animal abusers. Then-Mayor Sheila Dixon formed an Anti-Animal Abuse Task Force to study the city's response to such incidents, and the group released a report last year that found Baltimore's approach flawed, with episodes too often ignored or poorly handled.
"We're very concerned about the outcome of this case," said Caroline Griffin, who led the task force, which recently became the Mayor's Commission on Animal Abuse under Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. Griffin attended Wednesday's proceeding, along with representatives from the Baltimore Humane Society, the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter, known as BARCS, and Maryland Animal Advocates.
Just a handful will attend the trial. Prosecutor Janet S. Hankin spoke to the group in the hall after the proceeding Wednesday and asked them to scale back their numbers, saying that their presence could hurt the case. The judge imposed a gag order preventing attorneys and others from discussing the trial.
Marilyn Hall, a volunteer at BARCS, grew emotional after Hankin asked her to stay away. She lifted her glasses, wiped away tears and said, "Whatever is best is what I'm going to do, so I'm not coming."
Hall said she took the day off from her job as a legal assistant to attend Wednesday's proceeding, hoping that a strong showing could send the message that animal cruelty is a precursor to violence against people.
"Travers is a typical case," she said, referring to his subsequent arrest in October on attempted murder charges. He is accused of shooting at a man and woman during an argument.
"If you don't have respect for the animals, for life, for something alive, then you can't have respect for human life," Hall said.
Both Johnsons have pleaded not guilty in the animal cruelty case. Travers Johnson is to be arraigned on the attempted-murder charges next week.