A Cambridge man has been sentenced to 90 days in jail for the brutal abuse of a cat named Sage, a case that has gripped local animal advocates and stirred fresh debate over how the courts handle animal cruelty.
Jaydan Depina, 22, pleaded guilty on June 11 in Middlesex Superior Court to six counts of animal cruelty tied to the beating of Sage and throwing the cat out a window. He received a 90-day jail term, followed by two years of probation and court-ordered rehabilitation and housing conditions intended to keep him away from animals, according to Boston.com. Depina had been indicted in August 2025 and initially pleaded not guilty before changing his plea in June, court records show.
Video Captures Beating On Norfolk Street
Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators shows Depina walking up to Sage outside 59 Norfolk St., grabbing the cat by the tail, kicking him and slamming his head into the ground multiple times before carrying the motionless animal back inside, according to The Boston Globe. Cambridge police and MSPCA law-enforcement officers later secured Sage and pursued charges after matching the video to Depina.
Sage’s Injuries And Second Chance
When Sage was surrendered to MSPCA-Angell in July 2025, veterinarians documented a broken tail, lung contusions and fractures to ribs and toes, injuries the organization said were consistent with ongoing abuse. Despite the trauma, Sage eventually recovered enough to be adopted into a permanent home, according to MSPCA-Angell.
Judge Ties Sentence To Treatment And Housing
Along with the jail time, a Middlesex judge ordered Depina to remain in Massachusetts, avoid all contact with animals and receive mental-health treatment, court records show. He was also told to continue programming at Charlestown Adult Education, maintain housing through the Liberty Village housing program or a similar placement, and earn his high-school equivalency through HiSET, according to Boston.com.
Advocates Wanted A Harsher Penalty
Animal-welfare groups, led by In Defense of Animals, had urged prosecutors to pursue felony charges and seek the maximum penalty allowed. The group’s petition gathered 12,086 signatures and was delivered to the district attorney in September 2025. In Defense of Animals argued that Sage’s pattern of injuries pointed to prolonged mistreatment and called for strong accountability in the case, according to In Defense of Animals.
What Massachusetts Law Allows
Under Massachusetts law, animal-cruelty offenses can be charged as either misdemeanors or felonies. A felony conviction can bring up to seven years in state prison along with fines, according to the state’s guide to animal laws. That wide legal range helps explain why advocates in Sage’s case pushed prosecutors to go as far as the statute would allow.
For Sage, survival and adoption have offered a rare bright spot in an otherwise grim story. For many local animal-welfare groups, though, the case has become a touchstone in their push for tougher enforcement and closer scrutiny of repeat abuse, as they weigh how the justice system balances punishment, treatment and public safety.
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