Teen-Ager Pleads Guilty in Vandalism, Pet-Killing Spree; Could Get 10 Years

A 13-year-old Oceanside girl has pleaded guilty to burglarizing and vandalizing homes in Oceanside and Vista during a bizarre, 18-month crime series in which she also tortured and killed household pets.

The teen-ager, unidentified because of her age, will be sentenced Jan. 24 in Juvenile Court and could be sentenced to a maximum 10 years, eight months in California Youth Authority custody.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Karen Doty said Monday that she is barred by Juvenile Court laws from discussing details of the case, except to say that the girl pleaded guilty to multiple charges Friday.

Among the charges were causing more than $5,000 in vandalism to several of the homes she struck, residential burglary, killing a German shepherd puppy after placing it in an oven, cutting open a rabbit and poisoning goldfish. Other animals were maimed.

The plea-bargain settlement came before the girl’s trial, which was scheduled to begin Monday in Juvenile Court.

The teen-ager was originally charged with 38 criminal violations, most of them felonies, involving 19 victims. She was arrested after witnesses described a girl loitering in their neighborhoods, and detectives cross-referenced the descriptions with school truancy records.

Doty said the motives for the girl’s actions remain a mystery but may become more clear after she is interviewed by the San Diego County Probation Department before her sentencing.

“The Probation Department will do a social study, which takes into account the offenses, the girl’s background, and in which they ask the girl questions about the offense which might explain her behavior or offer insight into why she did what she did,” Doty said.

Since her arrest Sept. 30, the girl has been held at Juvenile Hall.