Man who admits killing his mother insisted on cats' names being added to murder indictment

A man from Massachusetts who confessed to killing his mother and her two cats has been ordered to undergo a mental evaluation before a judge will consider a request to change his plea to guilty.

Matthew McAveeney, 46, of Winchester, has pleaded not guilty to murder in the beating death of his mother, Barbara, and to animal cruelty charges. McAveeney fled Massachusetts after her slaying and was arrested in North Carolina in October. He later confessed to the crime on camera.
"To my mother Barbara McAveeney and to her cats, Pumpkin and Puffy McAveeney, I apologize deeply," he said to news cameras in October as he got out of a police van. McAveeney also requested to amend the indictment to include the names of the cats. "(The indictment) does not name animals that were killed.

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"The animals were living beings; they had lives; they had personalities; they had identities. If I am going to be convicted of killing them, I would like them to be known for what they were and who they were by their names," he said. The judge allowed the change. McAveeney will return to court after a mental evaluation. The judge will decide then whether to accept the plea change request.