Man arrested in Brookings for allegedly killing 7 cats in Sioux Falls

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A Sioux Falls man accused of killing seven cats is back in custody, according to the Brookings County Detention Center inmate listing.

Cory D. Martinson, 34, was arrested on a Minnehaha County warrant in Brookings, according to the inmate listing. The warrant stems from a July incident in Sioux Falls when a cat and kittens in his care died.

He is charged with four counts of cruelty to animals and six counts of neglect, abandonment, or mistreatment of an animal, according to court documents.

On July 12, Martinson called the Sioux Falls Area Humane Society to tell staff that “his cats were in dire need of medical attention,” court records say. When staff advised Martinson to seek treatment for the cats, he allegedly told them the animals “were not his cats and they were stray cats that he found.” In reality, court documents say, the cats were a friend’s who asked Martinson to care for them while she was homeless.

After calling animal control, officers made contact with Martinson to pick up the injured mother cat and two kittens. When officers arrived on scene, Martinson gave the officer just two cats.

The Sioux Falls Area Humane Society euthanized both cats due to injuries to their hind legs, according to the affidavit.

A few weeks later, Martinson inquired about adopting a cat. He re-stated that the previous animals he had inquired about did not belong to him and “he should not be faulted for stray animals that were in genuinely horrendous shape,” according to the affidavit.

Later, in December, Martinson’s parole officer contacted animal control to report he told her the injured cats had “become injured ‘because he was an a–hole to them.’”

He also allegedly told his parole officer he had seven cats but animal control picked up three of them, according to the affidavit, though animal control reported receiving two. When asked about the remaining animals, Martinson allegedly told his parole officer he had already killed them.

The man allegedly told the parole officer the abuse was not a “one-time incident.”

An animal control supervisor met with Martinson and the parole officer, when he allegedly admitted to killing four kittens in his apartment and injuring the others, according to the affidavit.

He reportedly told the officials he threw the animals’ bodies in the trash and described to them how he injured the other cats.

Martinson allegedly said he killed the animals because they were defecating in his apartment. He attributed mental health issues and lack of impulse control to the incidents, court records say.

This was not the first time Martinson has been charged with animal cruelty. He was previously convicted on one count of cruelty to animals, according to a Brookings court document.

In that case, Martinson received three cats from the humane society over the course of two to three weeks, according to a Brookings affidavit in support of Martinson’s arrest. The man gave the humane society different reasons as to why the cats died, such as being run over by a car.

Martinson eventually admitted to officers that he purposefully strangled all three, according to the affidavit. The affidavit does not make clear which humane society Martinson received the cats from.

Martinson was released on probation for his previous conviction in February 2024, according to court documents. He appeared before a Brookings court Dec. 31, 2024, on a probation violation. His probation case has since been reopened.

There are no court dates set in Martinson’s recent case.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Sioux Falls man arrested in Brookings for allegedly killing 7 cats