Bacham was a mixed-breed cat who lived peacefully in a home in Loncoche, in Chile’s Araucanía Region. On February 29, 2024, that changed in an instant: Víctor Alberto Zabala Briones arrived at his former partner’s home and kicked her, sending her nearly a meter into a wall.

The blow caused severe paralysis in her lumbar region. Veterinarians were unable to reverse the damage, and the cat had to be euthanized days later.

More than two years later, the Villarrica Oral Criminal Court issued a guilty verdict against Zabala Briones for animal cruelty. Loncoche prosecutor Ghislaime Durán described the ruling as unprecedented: very few cases of cruelty toward animals reach oral trial in Chile. The convicted man faces up to 3 years in prison, a fine, and a permanent ban on owning pets again. The reading of the final sentence is scheduled for September 11.