ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — A couple charged with animal cruelty following the raid of an illegal slaughterhouse in St. Lucie County in 2024 was sentenced on Wednesday.
Investigators said Miguel Cabrera tortured animals before slaughtering and selling them, failing to render the animals insensitive to pain before cutting their throats or stabbing them to death.
Couple Sentenced for Roles in ‘Illegal Slaughterhouse’ in St. Lucie County
Circuit Judge Michael Heisey sentenced Cabrera to 30 days in the St. Lucie County jail, followed by three years of probation.
Ysairis Gonzalez, according to investigators, failed to intervene in the inhumane treatment of the animals and was observed "collecting money to profit from inhumane killings.” She was sentenced to three years of probation.
During the sentencing hearing, Assistant State Attorney Robert Stone showed a graphic video depicting the torturous treatment of two goats and a pig in 2023.
“It’s not a situation where these animals were made impervious to pain or it was a quick death. They suffered. They bled out for minutes, hung by a single leg,” Stone said.
What he did not show in court, Stone said, was Cabrera skinning one of the goats before it was fully unconscious.
“Why I wanted the court to view the videos was to see the look on [Cabrera’s] face. As you watch him in the first video, the smirk and joy he gets when he knows what he’s getting ready to do,” Stone said.
The video was recorded by Richard Couto, founder of ARM (Animal Recovery Mission) in 2023. His team’s mission is to go undercover to expose illegal and inhumane treatment of animals.
Couto said he learned about Cabrera and Gonzalez’s actions after finding a Craigslist ad advertising animals and meat for sale. He posed as a purchaser to see how the animals were treated, capturing undercover video during the purchase. He claimed he wanted meat for a BBQ.
“This operation would be up and running, killing animals right now, if it weren't for the ARM Animal Recovery Mission recording the ongoing activities on this property. So we have to look at it as sacrificing the few [animals] for the very, very many,” Couto said.
Couto praised the partnership between ARM, the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, and prosecutors for ultimately raiding the property on Godwin Road in February of 2024 and seizing dozens of animals. Some of the animals now live safely at ARM’s sanctuary.
“The sentence that the judge passed down today is inadequate for the torture, the abuse, and the fear that was instilled in these animals,” Couto said.
In court, both Cabrera and Gonzalez, through a translator, apologized for their actions.
Outside of the courtroom, Gonzalez did not want to comment, but her family cursed at Couto in the hallways before packing into an elevator to leave the courthouse, prompting a deputy to ask them to conduct themselves accordingly while inside a courthouse.
Despite wanting a stiffer sentence, Couto says his team is committed to making sure the crimes are not repeated.
“We will monitor this couple for life,” Couto said.
