Fort Bend County Sheriff Graham William Reid is a former Texas teacher accused of killing his pet kittens.
Graham William Reid is a former Texas teacher accused of torturing and killing cats in Sugar Land. The 29-year-old Reid was arrested in Fort Bend County on April 28, 2021, after four kittens were found dead, according to court documents obtained by Heavy. News of the charges against Reid emerged in May 2021 after students at the high school where he worked talked to the Houston Chronicle.
Reid is no longer a teacher in the Fort Bend Independent School District, according to a statement from administrators obtained by KTRK. He is free on bond while awaiting trial on animal cruelty charges. Reid and his attorney could not be reached for comment by Heavy.
According to police, Reid killed his pet cats, named Cabbage, Parsnip, Carrot and Broccoli, on different occasions between October 2020 and March 2021.
Here’s what you need to know about Graham Reid:
1. Reid Told Police He ‘Felt Powerful’ While Killing the Cats
Ridge Point High School/TwitterGraham Reid is accused of killing four of his pet cats.
The investigation began after a report from a veterinarian to a Fort Bend County animal cruelty task force, according to KTRK. Police said in court documents that the cats were tortured and beaten to death with metal objects, including a metal bar, a cat scratching post and a metal litter box scooper, the news station reports.
Click2Houston wrote, “The animals sustained injuries such as broken teeth, bloodied toes and cut tails, among other injuries including respiratory issues and broken bones. After visits to local veterinarians, Reid would later say the animals had died at home, court documents say.
The news station adds, “Records indicate that a veterinarian who came forward to report the incidents said multiple cases of severe injury like this ‘(didn’t) add up,’ but added that it was ‘odd’ that Reid brought the animals to the vet if he was the one causing the injury and didn’t know what was really happening at Reid’s home.”
According to court documents obtained by the Houston Chronicle, Graham brought the first cat, Cabbage, to a vet in November 2020, with injuries including a fractured skull, bruised and bloody lungs and cerebral swelling. He told the veterinarian he had accidentally dropped a dumbbell on the cat while working out, the newspaper reports. He later told police he hit the cat with a metal workout bar, when he “would become enraged at the stressors of life,” court documents reveal. He told police he knew the cat was being hurt, but he said he did it because he “felt empowered,” according to court documents.
The second cat, Parsnips, was brought to another vet in January 2021 by Reid’s former girlfriend, with similar injuries, the newspaper reports, citing the arrest warrant. The court documents show Reid’s girlfriend told the vet Reid had said the cat was injured when he tried to help him get out of a tree. According to the Chronicle, Reid later told police he was angry because the cat, “would not do what he needed to do,” so he beat him with the rod and threw him.
Reid told police he beat to death another cat, Carrot, in March 2021, after the kitten jumped out of his arms, the Chronicle reports. The fourth cat, Broccoli, was killed two days after Reid brought him home, the newspaper reports. According to the Chronicle, Reid told police he killed the kitten after the cat defecated outside of a litter box. He said he did so because he “needed power” and “lost it,” the newspaper reports.
2. Reid Was a Geometry Teacher at Ridge Point High School in Missouri City
FacebookGraham Reid in a photo from his Facebook page.
Reid worked as a geometry teacher at Ridge Point High School in Missouri City, Texas, according to a now-deleted page on the school’s website. The school is part of the Fort Bend ISD. A tweet from June 2020 shows Reid was hired as a math teacher at the school last year. Details about where he worked before being hired at Ridge Point were not immediately available.
The Fort Bend ISD said in a statement, “We have been made aware of a disturbing animal cruelty allegation against a teacher who is no longer employed with the District. We are unable to comment further as the matter involves an ongoing criminal investigation.”
The school district added, “Please know the safety and security of our students is our top priority and we are taking steps to safeguard the emotional well-being of our students by making well-trained counselors available to the teacher’s former students.”
3. Reid Faces 2 to 10 Years in Prison if Convicted of the Felony Charges
Fort Bend CourtGraham William Reid was charged with felon animal cruelty.
Reid was charged with four counts of cruelty to non-livestock animals, according to Fort Bend County court records obtained by Heavy. The charges are third-degree felonies, according to Texas state law.
Reid faces between 2 to 10 years in prison on each felony charge if he is convicted. Reid told police he killed the kittens when he was stressed or frustrated and said he was bullied and oppressed as a child, according to KTRK.
4. Reid Returned to School to Teach for 1 Day After His Arrest, Students Told the Houston Chronicle
FacebookGraham Reid in a Facebook photo.
According to the Houston Chronicle, Reid was arrested on April 28, but returned to school on April 29, students said. He did not return to class after that day, students told the newspaper.
A student, whose name was not used by the newspaper, told the Chronicle, “I remember coming into class on April 30th and he wasn’t there. Then it was two days later the principal came into school and said he had quit for unknown reasons. We never got any more info from the school besides that since then.”
The student said, “He was really laid back honestly. There were times where he would seem to be a bit stressed but he never snapped at us or raised his voice at any of us. He was very nice though. He seemed invested in his students, which I really liked. It’s shocking to me. He never seemed to have a sadistic personality or behavior.”
5. Reid, Who Was Released on $25,000 Bail, Is Scheduled to Appear in Court on June 14
FacebookGraham Reid in a Facebook photo.
Reid was released on $25,000 bail the same day as his arrest, according to online court records. He is scheduled to appear in 240th District Court on June 14.
His attorney, David S. Hunter, could not be reached by Heavy to comment on the case. Prosecutors and police have also not spoken publicly about Reid’s arrest.
Reid’s Facebook page shows him in photos with two dogs. It was not immediately clear if the terms of his release from jail required him to not own any pets.
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