Cat killer lives in $1M mansion after early release

A twisted kitten killer who microwaved cats for fun is back living in his family’s nearly $1 million home after serving just one day of a four-year prison sentence.

Thomas Martel, 25, returned to the six-bedroom property in the affluent Chicago suburb of Northbrook following his extraordinary same-day release from prison.

The 3,056-square-foot home has two-and-a-half bathrooms, two fireplaces and an attached garage.

Martel pleaded guilty to animal torture and aggravated cruelty to animals after prosecutors said he drowned, microwaved and [cut up] kittens.

He was sentenced to more than four years in prison but received credit for more than 1,000 days spent on electronic monitoring while his case was pending.

That allowed Martel to walk free from the Illinois Department of Corrections on June 23 - the same day he entered its custody.

Disturbing animal cruelty case exposed 

He is now serving six months of mandatory supervised release and is prohibited from owning or having contact with animals, but his return has sparked outrage among residents who fear for their pets.

Martel’s family home sits on a pristine, tree-lined street near downtown Northbrook, an affluent suburb about 25 miles north of Chicago.

The disturbing case came to light about three years ago when Martel’s former girlfriend looked through his phone on June 18, 2023, according to People.

The village of roughly 35,000 residents has a median household income of nearly $158,000 and a median owner-occupied home value of more than $650,000, according to Census Bureau data.

A renovated two-bedroom ranch a few doors away was recently listed for $535,000, per Compass.

Martel’s father, Stu, is vice president of operations and production at S&D Enterprises, a family-run roofing company founded by Thomas’s grandfather in 1963.

Prosecutors said she became suspicious after several cats and kittens Martel had purchased went missing.

Horrific videos reveal pattern of abuse 

She discovered a horrific Snapchat video of a kitten captioned, ‘Right before I murdered her,’ prosecutors said at an August 2025 hearing, according to a transcript obtained by the outlet.

Another video allegedly showed Martel [taking apart] the same kitten.

His former girlfriend reported him to police and claimed he had drowned multiple kittens in his bathtub in May and June 2023, prosecutors said.

She also alleged that Martel showed her a cat he had microwaved and told her he had been killing cats since childhood.

Flyers bearing Martel’s mugshot have since appeared around the neighborhood, warning residents that he is back home.

The flyers include a QR code directing people to articles about the case, according to Fox 32.

Public furious over man's release 

Jackie Groberski, executive director of SAYv Animal Organization, said Martel’s release should serve as a warning for pet owners to take precautions when rehoming animals.

‘We still don’t know exactly how Thomas Martel obtained all of the kittens he [punished] and killed,’ Groberski told the outlet.

‘What we do know is that it’s incredibly easy to obtain free animals online.’

Groberski said many people were furious that Martel served no additional time behind bars.

A Change.org petition has also demanded that the court impose the maximum sentence allowed by law.

‘These animals were not property. They were sentient lives,’ reads the petition, which has received nearly 400 signatures.

Community demands justice and accountability 

‘The unimaginable suffering they endured deserves to be recognized for what it was: 'extreme violence against vulnerable living beings.’

‘Far too often, crimes against animals are minimized. We reject the notion that deliberate torture of animals should be met with leniency simply because the victims were not human.

‘A society that values compassion and justice must recognize that intentional cruelty of this magnitude demands the most serious consequences the law allows.’

The petition also calls for Martel to undergo a psychological evaluation and be permanently banned from owning, possessing, fostering or having custody of an animal.

The Daily Mail has contacted S&D Enterprises for comment. 

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