Fish ends up in disposal; ex ends up arrested

Charlie Brennan, Rocky Mountain News

Published December 16, 2006 at midnight

Text size

More Local News

There's not much left of one alleged victim in this domestic-violence case.

Uriah Williams, 23, of Aurora, allegedly broke into his ex-girlfriend's home just after midnight Dec. 8, took her Betta fish from its bowl, put it down a disposal and flipped the "on" switch while she watched, horrified, according to charges filed against him on Thursday.

There was a bit of the possibly-to-be-expected gallows humor around the Denver District Attorney's office this week. Someone said there might be something fishy about the case.

But to prosecutors, it's really no laughing matter.

Williams, free on a $3,000 bond, is charged with first-degree criminal trespass, a class-five felony, and aggravated cruelty to animals, a class-six felony. It's been filed as a domestic-violence case.

He is due back in court Jan. 9. The more serious charge against him carries a prison sentence of up to three years.

Williams could not be reached for comment.

"You have to look at it as an act of domestic violence," said deputy district attorney Diane Balkin. She handles many of Denver's animal cruelty prosecutions.

"It's really almost a stereotypical case, when abuse of an animal is involved. It's to control and intimidate a victim and force them into compliance. What better way to do that than to take something they care about, rather than something that could be replaced?"

"Some people might be tempted to laugh or think it was a joke, when really, that's far from the reality of it," added Denver district attorney's spokeswoman Lynn Kimbrough.

"They're (prosecutors)looking at the circumstances in their totality. It wasn't simply the breaking in. It wasn't simply killing her fish. It wasn't any one single thing. The charges are alleging these two criminal acts and that they were done as part of a whole domestic-violence act."

Balkin has no doubt that a fish fits the definition of "animal" for the purpose of being covered by the state's animal cruelty statute.

"It's not a question at all," she said. "It's an animal. We have endorsed a veterinarian that would testify to that. It is not a gray area. And according to the veterinarian, it is a creature that feels pain."

Kimbrough wouldn't speak about how much of the fish - if any - was recovered as evidence.

But she said officers in domestic-violence cases are thoroughly trained in evidence gathering and documentation.

"While I can't speak to the particular pieces of evidence that were recovered or would be available as this goes toward trial, the evidence documentation in this case was done, and done well."

Prosecutors refused to identity Williams' 24-year-old ex-girlfriend, since she's a victim of alleged domestic violence.

But the fish's name was Blue.

Meet the Siamese fighting fish

They're sold in pet stores as simply "betta" or "beta" fish, but the Siamese fighting fish are known as the "jewel of the orient" in their native Thailand.

• Scientific name: Betta splendens

• Size: 3 inches

• Lifespan: 2-3 years

• Description: Colors range from red to blue to white. Females have shorter fins and not as much color. A breeding female has horizontal stripes.

• Getting along: Males can't be kept togetherSource: Freshaquarium.About.Com

brennanc@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2742

Subscribe to the Rocky Mountain News