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Re: People v. David Scott Genovese, Santa Barbara Superior Court Case No. 25CR00765
Santa Barbara County District Attorney John T. Savrnoch announced today that David Genovese, a 36-year- old resident of Santa Barbara, California, pled guilty to five counts of animal cruelty and admitted a special allegation for personally using a deadly weapon. The Honorable Judge Von Deroian then sentenced Mr. Genovese to the maximum sentence of 6 years, 8 months in State Prison.
This case originated on January 25, 2025, when Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Deputies located a feline in distress, with a paracord around its neck and its paws bound with duct tape, in the defendant’s vehicle. The cat, “Sultan” was determined to have significant injuries including broken teeth, bones, and severe head trauma. Further, the cat had been adopted in good health by the defendant earlier that morning from a Los Angeles-based animal shelter. Following a joint investigation by the Sheriff’s Department and District Attorney’s Office, it was discovered that at some point in 2024 the defendant began accumulating, torturing, and disposing of cats in the Santa Barbara area. Between August 4 and September 6 of 2024, the defendant adopted four cats from both the Santa Barbara and Santa Maria Animal Shelters; their conditions and whereabouts are unknown. The defendant was also determined to have stolen two kittens from the same animal shelter in Los Angeles on January 15, 2025; also still missing. While a warrant was obtained for the defendant’s arrest, on January 29, 2025, he stole 2.5-year-old orange tabby cat named “Lancelot” from a family home in Ventura. After the defendant’s arrest on January 30, 2025, Lancelot was found deceased in the trunk of the defendant’s vehicle, his paws bound with packaging tape, similar to Sultan. Deputies returned to the area where they had initially contacted the defendant and located a deceased tabby cat in varying stages of decomposition, 55 feet from where the defendant was parked. The tabby cat’s paws were bound together with black duct tape, the same tape located in the defendant’s vehicle. The animals suffered extensive bruising, multiple broken legs, all four canine teeth broken, dislocation to their spines, and dislocation to their tails.
District Attorney John Savrnoch stated, “Thank you to our local Advanced Veterinary Services (AVS) for their efforts in treating animals in our County and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) for their dedication and assistance in this case.”
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