Anita Martin

Introduction

Anita Martin, 60, of Yonkers, New York, pleaded guilty in Westchester County Court on October 14, 2026, to animal-cruelty counts admitting she left her 1-year-old mastiff mix, Frankie, tied up at St. John’s Cemetery with a severe, infected gash to his throat and no food or water, Westchester County prosecutors said. The plea bars her from owning animals through placement on the animal abuse registry, requires her to reimburse the cost of Frankie’s care to the Yonkers Animal Shelter and keeps her under probation supervision for three years; sentencing is set for January 13, 2027.

Background Information

Frankie was found tied to a gate at the Yonkers cemetery on November 21, 2025, shortly before 1 a.m., after a good Samaritan spotted him and called police; he had been abandoned for over three hours without food or water, per the Westchester County District Attorney’s office. A veterinarian’s deposition filed with the court found a wound on his neck measuring 22 centimeters long and 4 centimeters deep — a gash the Journal News described as nearly nine inches — that exposed underlying tissue, was severely infected with pus and a foul odor, and a dog who was severely underweight and emaciated, with ribs clearly visible. Frankie underwent complex, two-hour surgery for his injuries.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Pled guilty, adjudicated. Martin pleaded guilty on October 14, 2026, to misdemeanor counts of overdriving, torturing and injuring animals, failure to provide proper sustenance, and abandonment of animals, per the NY Post — admissions the court recorded. She initially faced a felony charge of aggravated animal cruelty that carried up to four years in state prison; the misdemeanor plea spares her incarceration, with sentencing pending.

Surveillance footage captured Martin dressed in black walking Frankie to the cemetery, tying his leash to a fence and walking away, per the Post. Authorities released the video publicly, and after a tip from the coverage identified her, Martin — who lived less than half a mile away — was arrested in January 2026 and charged, per the Journal News and the DA’s office. In February 2026 she was arraigned on aggravated cruelty to animals — charged as a felony — along with misdemeanor counts of overdriving, torturing and injuring animals and abandonment, and pleaded not guilty at that stage. In July 2026 a Westchester grand jury indicted her, the DA’s office announced, and she was released on her own recognizance pending the case’s outcome. At the plea proceeding, per the Journal News, Martin told Judge Melissa Loehr her dog was named Lucky and that she didn’t know a dog named Frankie; Assistant District Attorney Alexander Shapiro explained rescuers had named him Frankie before his real name was known.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The case drew sustained local attention: animal advocates and residents followed it from the SPCA’s release of the video through the indictment, and coverage in Yonkers and New York media tracked Frankie’s recovery at each step. DA Susan Cacace said the February charges “reflect the gravity of the harms committed against an innocent and defenseless creature” and, announcing the plea, that it “ensures that Ms. Martin will be placed on the Animal Abuse Registry, prohibiting her from owning, caring for, or having contact with animals.” SPCA Westchester CEO Shannon Laukhuf thanked prosecutors for moving “swiftly to help ensure justice for Frankie,” and the veterinarian who treated him noted that despite his injuries he stayed “remarkably sweet and loving.”

Current Status

Martin is awaiting sentencing, scheduled for January 13, 2027, to three years of probation, 20 hours of community service and $1,618 in restitution to the Yonkers Animal Shelter, along with her listing on the animal abuse registry that bars her from owning, caring for or having contact with animals, per prosecutors and the Journal News. The felony that could have sent her to state prison for up to four years is resolved by the plea to misdemeanors. The DA’s office said Frankie fully recovered and “is now in a loving home.”

Impact on Their Career/Life

Martin’s plea makes her a convicted animal-cruelty offender whose name enters Westchester’s animal abuse registry — a public listing that prohibits her from owning, caring for or having contact with animals. The case became a showcase for the SPCA Westchester–Yonkers police partnership that traced a cemetery surveillance video to a tip, an arrest and a guilty plea in under a year, and for the registry system the DA’s office now cites as the remedy for exactly this conduct.

Sources

• NY Post, “Heartless fiend who left pooch tied up at Yonkers cemetery with slit throat barred from owning pets: DA,” Oct 15, 2026 — source
• Journal News (lohud), “Woman who abandoned injured dog near Yonkers cemetery enters plea,” Oct 14, 2026 — source
• Westchester County DA, “Yonkers Woman Arraigned on Animal Cruelty Charges after Dog Found Abandoned with Gash on Throat,” Feb 9, 2026 — source
• Yonkers Times, “YONKERS WOMAN ACCUSED OF TYING DOG TO POST FOR HOURS NOW INDICTED ON ANIMAL CRUELTY CHARGES,” Jul 15, 2026 — source