Conviction Upheld In Suspected Fairfield Animal Cruelty Case: Report

FAIRFIELD, CT — Heidi Lueders, the Fairfield woman convicted in 2022 in connection with a suspected animal cruelty case, had her first-degree criminal property damage conviction upheld by the state Appellate Court, the Connecticut Post reported.

Lueders, 36, had appealed her conviction to the Appellate Court, which on Thursday said there had been enough evidence to convict her, and that animal cruelty allegations, for which she had been found not guilty, were admissible in court.

An admitted heroin addict, Lueders had operated an animal rescue out of a home she rented in Fairfield in 2018, when the remains of five dead dogs were discovered inside. She was charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty, but was found not guilty of killing the dogs, because the animals' remains had deteriorated to such a degree that causes of death could not be determined.

The dogs' remains severely damaged the rental home, which led to her arrest on the criminal property damage charge and conviction.

Superior Court Judge Peter McShane sentenced Lueders to 15 months in prison, but she remained free on bond while her appeal was heard.

Read the Connecticut Post story.